Death And All His Friends
by x0clairedelunex0
Summary: One person comes back to town to make trouble, another has escaped prison, and someone else has come back from the dead. In other words, it's Adriana's first family reunion. Sequel to Know Your Enemy.
1. Chapter 1

**Death And All His Friends**

_Chapter One_

"I now officially declare the start of summer," said Kristina, laughing as she and Adriana walked out of Kelly's. Yesterday had been the last day of junior year, where they had both taken their calc finals and had run out of school faster than was humanly possible. But that day hadn't really felt like summer, with the stress of cramming still on their backs. Plus, it had rained, and that was no way to start off those glorious ten weeks of no school. They had both gone home and vegetated, glad to finally be done with it all, at least until September. This morning, Adriana had slept until eleven, happy to wake up to the sun shining in her window instead of the moon. Kristina woke up at noon and called Adriana to go out for Kelly's ice cream the second she got out of bed. According to Kristina, summer didn't exist until that first spoonful.

Adriana smiled at her friend's energy while they both grabbed a table right outside of Kelly's. Kristina dug into her ice cream like there was no tomorrow, while Adriana took slow bites, not having had a proper appetite for quite some time. She was sure as hell glad this school year was over. It had been one of her worst, and she just wanted the laziness of summer to erase its memories.

"So, how did you do on your finals?" Kristina asked, still shoving ice cream down her throat. Adriana was amazed at how her friend could still be thinking about school while she basked in the glory of summer. As far as Adriana was concerned, junior year was eons ago. But she was determined to keep the conversation pleasant and positive. Her friendship with Kristina wasn't quite back to where it had been at one point, and she wasn't going to mess up the progress they had made.

She shrugged. "Okay, I guess." In all honesty, Adriana had done great on her finals, considering the slump she had led herself into over the winter. She had managed to scrape at least an A minus on all of them, but that was just because she had studied more than she breathed. "What about you?"

Kristina raised an eyebrow. "Is that even a question anymore? I can't not do well on my finals. My mom would actually kill me."

Adriana gave a small smile, her lips barely separating. She hadn't given anyone a real smile for months. She couldn't even remember the last time she had laughed. "So I'm guessing that you have straight A's for your cumulative grades?"

Kristina nodded. "What about you?"

Adriana bit her bottom lip. "Just in English and history. B's in everything else." Even though they were friends, Adriana missed getting better grades than Kristina. Even though Kristina would get into her little moods about it, Adriana hated when her friend talked down to her, which is what happened when Kristina did better in something. Adriana was sick of people talking down to her. Claudia had gotten that memo. Kristina's had gotten lost in the mail somewhere.

"Well, maybe I can tutor you this summer or something," Kristina offered, and Adriana could feel the condescension strike at her very core. But she didn't acknowledge it. That would only make things worse.

"Aren't you gonna be busy with college tours?" Adriana asked. Kristina was a shoe-in for Yale, but Alexis wanted her daughter to explore other options, in case, by some horrific act of God, Kristina didn't make it into her dream school.

Kristina rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but I'm trying to get my mom to chill out on the whole college thing. I mean, she's going psycho. She's even thinking about turning it into a whole road trip and bringing Molly along. I am not spending my entire summer in a car with my mom and my little sister." She smiled; Adriana returned it, but it wasn't as large. "So, how's Claudia handling the whole college thing?"

"Honestly, it rarely comes up in conversation," said Adriana. "I mean, at the beginning of the year, I had Oxford on my mind, but I doubt that's possible anymore." Saying it out loud really hurt. Oxford was where Adriana's adopted parents had gone, studied, and fallen in love. But after this year, Oxford was merely a blip on the radar screen of reality. "I might just stick around here, maybe go to PCU. Or go down to Manhattan, like NYU or something. I have to figure out what I'm doing with my life first."

"Yeah, I don't really have that problem," said Kristina. "I'm going to Yale for law, no matter what other colleges my mom forces me to see."

Adriana wished she had her life planned out like the rest of her grade seemed to. This one wanted to be a doctor, that one wanted to be a cop—was it wrong that she didn't know what she wanted to do yet? She thought about her parents. Her father had been a salesman, and she definitely didn't see herself doing that. Her mother had worked as a guidance counselor until her father had started traveling for business. Adriana doubted she should be guiding students when she couldn't even guide herself. Her birth father had been a lawyer, but Adriana had argued enough to last her a lifetime. And Claudia? Well, as far as Adriana was concerned, she was unemployed.

"So, what do your summer plans consist of?" Kristina asked, her ice cream completely finished. Adriana noticed that she had barely touched hers, and that it was already starting to melt in the June sun.

"Well, your grandfather was gracious enough to give me my job back," said Adriana, making sure her gratefulness was completely evident in her voice. Mike had no reason to hire her back when she had just stopped showing up to work, but he had, and she appreciated it very much. "I start next Monday. And then soccer training camp starts in July. I want to get back on varsity, even if I'm not captain again."

"Sounds a lot more fun than my summer," said Kristina. She peered over at Adriana's ice cream bowl, which still had not been emptied. "How can you not finish that?"

Adriana shrugged. "I'm not hungry."

Kristina frowned. "You're never hungry."

Adriana didn't want to talk about it. "What time does the pool open?" she asked, intentionally changing the subject. She was Kristina's guest at the country club today, and they were both already prepared, with their bathing suits on underneath their shorts and tank-tops.

Kristina didn't acknowledge the change in subject, though she certainly noticed it. She took her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. "In, like, ten minutes. We should start heading over before all the lawn chairs get taken up."

Adriana nodded, standing up, grabbing her half-empty bowl, and preparing to head inside. But Kristina stepped in her path before she could reach the door.

"You are not letting that ice cream go to waste," she said.

"But I'm not hungry," Adriana insisted.

"Fine," said Kristina, snatching the bowl from Adriana's hands. "I'll eat it. It'll break Grandpa's heart if he sees you didn't eat it all." She started shoving spoonfuls of the ice cream in her mouth, while Adriana watched with a slightly amused smile.

As Kristina continued her shoveling, a young woman with three children, a stroller, and a dog was making her way towards Kelly's. The oldest of her children couldn't be more than five, and he was bouncing around in anticipation for whatever excitement lay in store at Kelly's. The middle child looked about three, holding onto his mother with one hand and sucking the thumb of the other. The stroller contained a very newborn-looking baby girl, who was fast asleep as her mother pushed the stroller with the hand that also held the dog's leash. The dog was huge, a German shepherd in top form, pulling at the leash with all his might. But the woman would not let him get loose. Kristina noticed the woman struggle and rushed to help her with the door.

"Thank you," said the woman. As she tried to heave the stroller over the threshold of the door and keep an eye on the two children not in the stroller, the dog's leash came out of her grasp, and it broke into a fast sprint before anyone could stop it.

"Clancy!" shouted the five-year-old boy after his beloved pet. The woman turned around to watch the dog, leaving the stroller in the middle of the doorway. Adriana saw the dilemma written all over her face; she didn't want to let the dog get away, but she didn't want to leave her children, either.

Without a word, Adriana bolted after the German shepherd, determined to stop it before it got too far away. She hadn't run in months, but she had been blessed with natural speed, so she was able to keep the dog within her sights as it continued running through the pier towards the dock. Adriana's flip-flops slapped the pavement, but they didn't slow her down. She followed the dog closely, making sure never to lose sight of the red leash that dragged behind it. Adriana was so focused on catching it that what happened next completely caught her off guard. It was a combination of things that cumulated in the end result. The dog ran down the few stairs to the dock, Adriana still following it. In her haste, she bumped into a man who was standing on the dock and talking on his cell phone. As she turned around to apologize, she felt herself trip over one flip-flop while the other one slid on the wood that was still wet from the previous day's rain. These three incidents, combined together, caused her to take a tumble, right into cold and most likely body-infested waters of the harbor.

At first, Adriana panicked at the sudden impact of her fall into the water. Her flip-flops had fallen off and were probably settling themselves at the bottom of the deep harbor. She gave herself a second to calm down and let the shock wear off, then started swimming upwards. But something was preventing her from doing such a thing. As she tried with all her might to swim to the surface, she felt a tug around the waist of her shorts. She moved her hands towards the area that was caught and felt something metal between her fingers, most likely a large part of a destructed freighter left from a shipment explosion. Adriana tried releasing her shorts from whatever they were caught on, but she seemed to only be making things worse, because she still couldn't budge. Trying to remain calm and remind herself that she still had enough time to hold her breath, she opened her eyes in order to assess the situation more clearly. But she only had them cracked for a second before she shut them again. Whatever had been dumped in this harbor over the years continued to linger, and her eyes stung painfully from exposing them to the water directly. Now she started to panic. She couldn't unhook herself from whatever she was stuck on without looking, and she couldn't force herself to open her eyes. She started to frantically kick and pushing her way towards the surface, but she remained stuck. She was slowly loosing breath and becoming light-headed. The harder she paddled, the more tired she became. Eventually, she just stopped and watched as everything around her went black.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

Adriana began coughing up water the second she came around. Her head hurt like crazy, and she could barely breathe. She was soaking wet, and it felt like gallons of that gross harbor water were regurgitating from her throat. Her eyes remained closed as she finished choking, and she finally opened them when she started to take deep breaths again. She was looking up into the eyes of someone that she had definitely seen before, and it took her a second to realize that it was the man she had bumped into on the dock. He had thick, wavy brown hair and deep brown eyes, eyes that seemed strangely familiar, more so than something she had seen from a passing glance. The man was leaning over her, also soaking wet, his collared shirt, tie, and suit pants dripping with harbor water. His breathing was heavy and rapid, like he had just run a marathon, and Adriana waited for her thoughts to reorganize themselves before she tried to come to a conclusion about what had happened.

"Thank—you," she said in between breaths, still coughing a little.

The man smiled. "You need to learn to be more careful. You could have drowned."

"I'm—sorry," she said, blushing a little as she realized something. This man had given her mouth-to-mouth, and they were complete strangers.

"It's okay," said the man. "Can you sit up?"

"I—think so," said Adriana, pushing herself up with her hands against the wood of the dock. The man helped her, placing a hand on the small of her back to support her. Adriana's head spun for a second, and she coughed a little more, but other than that she was all right. As she was sitting up, she heard thudding footsteps behind her, and before she could turn around to see who it was, she saw Kristina standing in front of her, worry written all over her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked, getting down on her knees to look into Adriana's eyes.

Adriana nodded as the man asked Kristina, "Did you call the paramedics?"

"Yeah, they're on their way," said Kristina. She turned back to Adriana. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Adriana wanted to say that she'd be fine if Kristina stopped asking her, but refrained herself. "Did they—find the dog?"

Kristina rolled her eyes. "You almost drowned, and all you can think about is that dog?" Adriana just stared at her, waiting for an answer. "Yeah, they found it."

"Good," said Adriana, still breathing deeply. "I think I'm gonna—skip the pool today." She chuckled, the small laugh coming out in a gasp and more coughs.

Kristina smiled. Adriana seemed to be even more like herself than before she had fallen into the harbor. Kristina hadn't heard her friend tell a joke in months. "I think that's a good idea. Oh, and I called your mom. She's on her way."

Adriana moaned. She hadn't been planning on telling Claudia about this, because that would just be another thing for her mother to worry about. She had just started earning Claudia's trust again, and then she had to fall into the freaking harbor. She'd be lucky if Claudia ever let her leave the house again after this one. But what bothered her most was how Kristina had been able to call Claudia. "How did you get her number?"

"She gave it to me in case of…emergencies," Kristina said reluctantly. She had promised Claudia that she wouldn't tell Adriana about their arrangement, because Adriana would certainly be mad. But now it was out in the open, and Kristina didn't want to be around when the other shoe dropped.

Adriana rolled her eyes. So much for trust. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

"Look, after last year, she just wants to make sure you're safe," said Kristina, trying to spin the situation, but Adriana wasn't having it. She would be eighteen in a little over a month. What kind of adult had a friend with Mommy's number on speed dial, just in case of "emergencies?"

"Hey, guys, the paramedics are here," said the man, unknowingly stopping the spat before it started. Adriana turned around to see two men in EMS uniforms, one of them carrying quite an extensive first aid kit. Kristina and the man stood off to the side while they checked Adriana out. As she sat through the blood pressure taking, stethoscoping, and other such procedures, Adriana watched her friend and the stranger, and noticed something odd. They seemed to know each other; in fact, they seemed to know each other very well. Adriana couldn't hear the conversation, but the way their bodies were positioned and the way their faces formed when they talked fueled the fire of her suspicions. She'd ask Kristina about it later, mostly because she really wanted to know who the man was that had saved her from certain death.

Claudia made her appearance just as the paramedics were finishing up. She ran down the steps to Adriana like a bat out of hell, her black boots clacking with worry. She ran by Kristina and the man without acknowledging them and knelt down to Adriana, holding her daughter's face in her hands as she ranted.

"What the hell happened?" she practically screamed, turning Adriana's face from side to side, as if looking for something. "I thought you were going to the pool, and then Kristina calls me and says that you almost drowned in the harbor! What is going on?"

"Claudia, calm down," Adriana mumbled, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment as she coughed a little more. "I was chasing this dog that had gotten away, and I slipped and fell. I'm fine. Just a little tired."

But Claudia didn't completely take her word for it. She stood up and turned to one of the paramedics, asking, "Is she gonna be okay?"

The paramedic nodded. "She'll be fine. Just have her get some rest. She was really lucky that that guy was there to save her," he added, nodding over towards where Kristina and the man stood. Claudia turned around, and was so taken aback by what she saw that she almost fell over. It was several feelings at the same time: anger, frustration, confusion, and, most of all, fear. Because if he was back in town, it could only mean trouble.

Trying to get her bearings and not alert Adriana of the danger, Claudia let one word slither off her tongue. "Ric."


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

"Kristina, I need to talk to Ric for a minute," said Claudia in a near-whisper as she walked over to the uncle and niece, not taking her eyes off of her soaking wet nemesis for a second.

Kristina knew better than to cross Claudia, so she quickly stepped out of the way and walked over to Adriana, who was watching the whole scene with much confusion. Did Claudia know this guy, too? Who was he? And why did there seem to be some tension between him and Claudia? What the hell was going on?

"Hey, Kristina, who is that?" she asked as her friend stood next to her.

Kristina just shook her head and said, "Let's just say things are about to get complicated." She shot another furtive glance at Claudia and Ric. "I'm gonna split. You okay?"

Adriana stood up, her legs shaky, but sturdy. "Yeah. But what do you mean by complicated?"

Kristina held her hands up defensively. "I'm gonna let Claudia handle this one."

"But—" Before Adriana could get another word out, Kristina walked quickly up the steps and away from the harbor, where trouble was already beginning to brew. Adriana, lost in her confusion, just watched as Claudia and the stranger began their intimate conversation.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Claudia asked, trying not to let her fear show. Ric had been gone for almost a year now, and it had been quite nice. Claudia had been able to run her organization without worrying what scheme he had up his sleeve. But now, things seemed to be changing.

Ric laughed. Claudia had not changed one bit. She was still smokin' hot, and didn't take anyone's crap. But the fear in her voice, which he noticed right away, had another layer to it, one he couldn't quite decipher. "Well, it's nice to see you, too, Claudia. What, no 'hey, Ric, how was Los Angeles?' Come on, we were close. Very close." He smiled cryptically. Claudia wanted to throw up. "You don't have something nicer to say to me?"

"What do you want?" Ric could not find out about Adriana. By the way things looked, he probably already knew that she was Claudia's daughter. But he couldn't know that Trevor was the father. Then he'd find out he was her brother, and that was just not something Claudia or Adriana needed right now, especially after the past year's events.

Ric scoffed. "What, I can't come back to my hometown without having my motives questioned? I happen to have a daughter here."

"You didn't seem to miss her that much when you left," Claudia retorted quickly, determined to stay on her toes. "Every breath you take has an agenda. Spill."

"Well, if I did have an agenda, I wouldn't be telling it to you," said Ric with the cocky lawyer smile that he had inherited from his father. "So, what's new with you? How's business?"

"Fine," Claudia said sharply. She needed to finish this conversation and get out of here with Adriana as inconspicuously as possible. "Although, now that you're back in town, I might have to take some extra precautions."

"Where is this hostility coming from?" asked Ric, as if he really had no idea. "Don't you remember those days when we used to get along, plotting against Anthony, sharing a drink, and—"

"Stop, stop, stop," said Claudia holding up her hands. She was very aware of how much Adriana could hear, and she didn't want her to find out through this conversation who exactly had saved her life. Claudia would tell her once they were alone. "That was a year ago. Things have changed. You're not exactly my best friend anymore."

"See, that's such a shame," said Ric, still smiling. "We really did make a great team." He peered around to Claudia to the girl he had saved, who was standing and looking at the two of them with a completely lost stare in her very familiar brown eyes, her long, dark hair dripping with harbor water. "And who might this be?"

Claudia felt her stomach drop to the ground and her heart catch in her throat. One of her greatest fears was finally rearing its ugly head. She should have known that Ric would make his way back to Port Charles sooner or later, but she'd hoped that Adriana would be away at college or creating a family of her own by that time. There was no telling what Ric would do once he found out, and the fact that he was probably already involved in some clandestine operation didn't make Claudia feel any better.

Adriana looked between Claudia and the stranger, at a complete loss for words. Claudia looked worried as hell, and Adriana wondered if she should trust her rescuer. But how bad of a person could he be? He could have just let her drown, but he'd jumped in the water and saved her, even though his suit got all wet. There had to be something more to it. What was Claudia hiding?

Not wanting Adriana to reveal anything that might tip Ric off about her paternity, Claudia intervened. "This is Adriana."

The name meant nothing to Ric. "And you know her how?" A sudden bolt of realization hit up. "Wait, are you her mom?"

Claudia bit her bottom lip nervously. "Yeah."

A look of utter bewilderment crossed Ric's face. "Wow. I know Kristina had said she'd called her mom, but never in a million years—seriously? Since when do you have a daughter?"

Since my dad took your sleazy father's side over mine, Claudia wanted to say, but didn't. "Well, it's a little complicated, and doesn't really concern you that much."

Ric was still taken back. "But who's her dad? I mean, she's a little old to be yours and Sonny's. And why is she British?"

"It's complicated, okay?" Claudia said through gritted teeth. She needed to get out of here before either she or Adriana let anything slip. "Just go crawl back into your hole and stop asking questions."

Claudia's hostility puzzled Ric, and he knew that it must be some big, dark secret that Claudia was hiding when she didn't even attempt to lie. "Well, you could at least say thank you. I saved her life today."

"Thank you" was the last thing that Claudia ever wanted to say to him, but if it would get him off her back, she'd suffer. "Thanks," she muttered, the word burning her tongue like acid.

Ric smiled triumphantly. "There, see? Was that so hard?"

"Shut up," said Claudia with an eye roll. She turned to Adriana, who was still soaking wet and totally confused. They needed to leave, so Claudia could explain everything, and then go punch a wall. "Come on, Adriana," she said, not taking her eyes off Ric. "Let's go home."

Throughout this whole confrontation, Adriana hadn't said a word, but her mind was spinning nonetheless. While she wanted to stay and sort this whole thing out between the three of them, Claudia was angrier than usual, and Adriana didn't get the same satisfaction from pushing her buttons as she had a few months ago.

"Thanks again," she said to the stranger as she began to follow Claudia up the steps from the dock.

"It's no problem," said Ric, smiling mischievously. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon."

Claudia walked as fast as she could to the car, anger empowering each step she took. Adriana scrambled to keep up, her breathing still heavy from her traumatic fall into the harbor. But despite the tightness in her lungs, she couldn't help but start asking questions. "Claudia, who was that? What does he want? Why don't you like him?"

Claudia didn't answer a single one of her daughter's questions as they finally made it to the car. She beeped the doors open and went into the driver's side, while Adriana stepped into the passenger's. When they were both safely inside the car, Claudia rested her head on the steering wheel, clutching her dark hair in frustration.

Adriana was really worried now. She had never seen Claudia like this. She had seen her angry, of course, and sometimes she even saw a spark of fear, but never before had she seen her mother so…defeated.

"Claudia," she said, starting to ask questions again, her voice barely above a whisper, "what's wrong?"

"Ugh, everything," Claudia moaned, pounding the dashboard.

"Why?" asked Adriana. "I'm fine. I could have drowned, but he saved me. Everything's going to be okay."

Claudia shook her head. "No, it's not. Everything is so messed up right now."

"Why?" Adriana asked again, practically begging for answers. "I don't understand."

"No one ever understands when it comes to Ric," said Claudia, finally putting the keys in the ignition and starting the car.

Realization thrust itself upon Adriana. "Ric…you mean—"

"Yeah," said Claudia, backing out of her spot. "Your brother."


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

Claudia couldn't concentrate. She hadn't been able to all day, and as the afternoon was beginning to come to a close, the sun setting behind her as she sat in the study, she knew she would be up all night tossing and turning, just like the night before. Ric coming back to Port Charles was enough to make her blood pressure rise to an unhealthy level, and she was somewhat amazed at the fact that she hadn't had a heart attack yet. Even though he had just come back yesterday, she was still anxiously waiting for whatever big scheme he had up his sleeve to blow up in her face. It was just a matter of time.

But Ric's presence wasn't even half as stressful as Adriana's reaction to it. From when they had left the harbor to very late in the night, she had bombarded Claudia with questions. "Why is he here?" "What does he want?" "Why don't you like him?" "Should I be worried?" "How come you don't want him to know he's my brother?" Claudia had tried to answer them the best she could, without revealing a particular part of her past that she was extremely ashamed of. She told Adriana everything she knew about Ric, except for those few months before she had married Sonny (and those few months when she had still been married to Sonny) that she and Ric had slept together. For starters, Claudia wasn't one to go blathering about her sex life, except to people who she wanted to make jealous. Also, the fact that she had slept with her daughter's brother was a little disorienting, and Claudia hadn't really realized how much until Adriana had come back into her life. And the biggest reason she didn't bring it up? It was just gross on all levels, whether he was the brother of her daughter or not.

Adriana had been absolutely horrified at the stories Claudia told her. About a year ago, when the two of them had first become reunited after her parents' death, Claudia had mentioned in a very short passing what Ric had done to Carly while she had been pregnant with Morgan. Adriana had remembered that little snippet, and had asked for the whole story. While Claudia hadn't been around when it had happened, she had heard bits and pieces from enough people to get the general idea across. Even when Claudia mentioned that everything he'd done was part of a personal vendetta against Sonny, Adriana still didn't justify his actions. If anything, she seemed more afraid of her brother than her parents' killer.

Claudia knew that the stress couldn't be good for Adriana while she recovered from almost drowning, so she tried to promise her daughter that she would make sure that Ric couldn't do anything to hurt her or the life she had tried so hard to rebuild after the whole Kyle incident. But that was easier said than done. Claudia wouldn't be able to stop Ric until she knew what he was up to, and who knew how long that would take?

Trying to push all these thoughts aside before Adriana came home, so as not to force her daughter to carry this worrisome burden with her, Claudia stood up from her desk, done working for the day. She hadn't really gotten anything done, and she was just too jumpy and preoccupied to make much headway now. Just as she was about to walk out the door, one of her guards came in, and she immediately felt her stomach sink.

"Ric Lansing is here to see you," he said matter-of-factly.

Claudia groaned. "Tell him I'm not here."

"He insists that it's very important," said the guard.

I'll bet he does, thought Claudia. "And I insist that I don't want to see his ugly face in my office. Send him away."

"Really, Claudia, is that any way to treat a guest?" asked Ric, sliding into the open door behind the guard, his usual smirk plastered all over his face.

Claudia wanted so bad to punch him, but maintained her cool as she turned to the guard and send, "Can you give us a minute?" The guard nodded and left, leaving Claudia to face off with Ric alone.

"Make it quick," she said, walking back to her desk slowly.

"Oh, don't worry," Ric ensured. "I have other things I need to be doing. And I know you're busy, being a mom and all." Claudia tried not to let her fear show as she sat down on her desk, keeping her eyes averted from Ric's. The way he said that last sentence almost turned it into a threat.

Ric ignored her silence as he continued. "Seriously, what did I miss? You are the last person on the entire planet, even under the terrorists, that I think would be parent. And why is she so old? I mean, she's got to be sixteen, at least."

"Did you just come here to ask me questions I'm not going to answer, or do you actually want something?" Claudia asked coldly, finally meeting Ric's eyes.

He smiled. "Fine, I'll get to the point. I want to work for you, as the official legal representation for the Zacchara organization."

Claudia just laughed. So this was his plan: get into the business and take it down from the inside. Well, she wasn't stupid. "You're kidding me, right? You actually think I'd give you a job?"

"Well, do you have anyone representing you now?" Ric asked innocently.

"No, I'm a world-class criminal without a lawyer," Claudia deadpanned sarcastically. "Yes, I have an attorney: Diane Miller."

"Come on," Ric pressed. "You can do better than Diane Miller."

"If you're referring to yourself, you need to deflate your ego a little bit. Diane Miller is five times the lawyer you'll ever be. She's kept Sonny and Jason out of prison for years while you tried to put them in."

"I heard Sonny's been on the run for about a year now," said Ric. Claudia didn't make any kind of motion to indicate response. "A murder so bad that not even Diane could get him out of it."

"Back to your original proposition," Claudia said, ignoring his statement, "no, I don't want you working for me."

"But doesn't using Diane also present the possibility of a conflict of interest? She's still representing Jason, right?" Claudia nodded. "What if you and Jason have an issue? She'd sooner side with him than you."

"Jason and I are good right now," said Claudia. Well, not personally. But they were mafia BFFs. "We both had a common enemy a few months ago. There's no indication of either of us going against the other."

"How can you be so sure?" Ric asked.

It was a valid question, but Claudia would not give in. "Even if Jason and I were threatening to slit each other's throats with butcher knives, I would not pick you as my attorney. In case you forgot, I don't like you very much."

"See, you keep saying that," said Ric, slowly coming closer to her. Claudia wanted to scamper away with her tail between her legs and hide like an abused puppy, but she couldn't show Ric her fear. She gripped the sides of the desk so that her knuckles turned into a blinding white color as he came even closer. "But I think you forgot about all those times before you married Sonny, when we were trying to overthrow Anthony together. And then when we'd sneak around Sonny's house, which, admittedly, was a lot more fun, in my opinion."

"That was over a year ago," said Claudia, Ric inches from her. She looked up at him from her seat on the desk, her hands gripping even tighter. "Things have changed. You are crazy, and I don't want anything to do with you."

"I have a really hard time believing that," said Ric, and before Claudia could do anything to stop it, he pinned her arms to her sides and pressed his mouth into hers.

The only time Claudia could ever remember being more scared was when she had finally given in to Trevor, at this very same desk, all those years ago. But right now, she wasn't giving in. She didn't want to do this. She tried to pull away, but she couldn't. Ric now had one hand on the back of her head, forcing her lips to his, while his other arm encircled her back, pinning both of her arms to her sides. Claudia's breathing started to speed up as she struggled against him, but that only seemed to make him more determined. He pushed her down onto the desk, still keeping a tight grip on her head and arms. Claudia wanted to pull away for just a second so that she could scream, but he was holding her so close that she thought she was going to suffocate. She kept kicking and writhing, but she couldn't get loose. Her head began to spin with fear as she fully realized his intentions.

"Claudia?" asked a voice from the doorway. Ric immediately jumped off of Claudia when he heard it, and the second his weight was off of her, Claudia ran to stand behind the desk. When she looked towards the door, her stomach dropped in horror.

"Claudia, what's going on?" asked Adriana, as if she didn't already know. This was gross. She was still trying to come to terms with the fact that this stranger was her brother, but the fact that her mother had the hots for him? That was a whole different obstacle.

"Hey, Adriana. It's Adriana, right?" asked Ric, straightening his tie and trying to look as innocent as possible. "Are you feeling better?"

"Get out!" Claudia shouted at him, and when Adriana turned towards her, she realized she'd made a mistake. Claudia's face was white as a sheet, and her eyes were bloodshot as tears streamed down her face. What she had just walked in on had not been consensual.

Ric gave Claudia a parting smile as he headed for the door. "My offer still stands, Claudia. Think it over." As he walked towards the door, Adriana quickly moved out of his way, her mind clouded by fear and disgust. He gave her a pleasant nod as he left, a nod that made Adriana's stomach turn in sickening somersaults.

Adriana looked back over at Claudia, who sunk down to the ground, leaning up against the desk and hugging her knees into her chest. She had never seen her mother so weak. Even after she had gotten shot a couple months ago, and was lying a hospital bed for a whole week, she still seemed strong. She was fighting. But now, she looked like she was giving up, which Adriana had never expected from her. Claudia was supposed to be fearless, to scare the living crap out of anything that challenged her. She wasn't supposed to cry and curl up in a ball. She couldn't, because if she was scared, Adriana most definitely was.

But she couldn't let Claudia sit there by herself. She walked over to her mother and knelt down next to her. Claudia didn't look at her. "Claudia, are you okay? What happened?"

"He is exactly like his father," Claudia spat through gritted teeth, her words choked by tears. "Like your father. He just pushed and pushed until…" She was overcome by sobs again, and couldn't get another word out. Adriana didn't ask anymore questions. She just leaned against the desk with Claudia, resting her head on her mother's shoulder. It wasn't much, but it was exactly the kind of comfort that Claudia needed.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

"Ric, how nice to see you again," said Anthony as Ric slid through the door of the prison's interrogation room. Anthony was already sitting down, wearing an obnoxious orange jumpsuit, his wrists handcuffed in front of him as they rested on the table. Jail hadn't changed him much; he didn't really look that much older, and he still had that manic smile on his face. He could use a haircut, but that was about it. Ric was pleased with this; it would make everything go a lot smoother.

"How was Los Angeles?" Anthony asked as Ric sat down across from him.

Ric smiled. "Are we really just gonna sit here and make small talk?" he asked skeptically.

Anthony returned Ric's smile with his crazy grin. "I haven't had many people to make small talk with in this joint. They're all a bunch of punks that I really don't need to associate with. And it's not like my family comes to visit me or anything. If there's one thing I miss about the outside world, it's having a conversation that doesn't end in a fistfight."

Ric nodded, somewhat understanding. "Well, then, I'll humor you. Los Angeles was fine, but there was really no action. That's why I'm glad I got your message. A lot more happens in Port Charles."

Truer words were never spoken, thought Anthony. "Well, you're an integral part of this whole operation. Have you talked to Claudia yet?"

The smile on Ric's face grew even wider. He had so much to tell Anthony that he didn't even know where to start. "I went to the house yesterday and made my offer. She refused."

Anthony shrugged. "That's to be expected. As I remember, you guys weren't so close after I married her off to Sonny." Ric gulped. He didn't really like thinking about that time in his life. He preferred the before and after, when he and Claudia had been having wild, crazy sex without any strings attached. "But I'm sure things will change after tonight. You have to make it clear to her that you're on her side. Otherwise, it won't work."

"Oh, don't worry," Ric assured, his voice full of confidence. "I sent a pretty clear message to Claudia yesterday, one that should help move things along." He thought about how he had forced himself on her, bending her over the desk against her will. She had sure as hell been scared, and he would have gone all the way if her daughter hadn't walked in. Thinking about Adriana reminded Ric of what else he had to say. "There's something else you should know, something huge that I only found out about a couple days ago."

Anthony immediately became concerned. "What is it?"

"Claudia has a daughter," Ric said, not beating around the bush.

Anthony was stupefied. A daughter? How was that possible? He would have known about something like that, obviously. Unless… "With Sonny?"

Ric shook his head. "She's too old to be Sonny's. She's sixteen, at least, maybe even a couple years older. And she's British."

Anthony could not get over this. "British?"

"Yeah," said Ric. "I couldn't believe it either. I leave town a year ago, and Claudia doesn't have any kids, and then I come back and she does. I'm not exactly sure what happened with that."

Anthony considered the possibilities. "She could have adopted."

"Nope," said Ric, shaking his head. "She would have said something. I asked who the father was, and she wouldn't tell me. She said it was complicated."

Anthony was really pondering now. Claudia had always been a slut, just like her mother. If this girl was about sixteen, like Ric said, then maybe she could be some random guy in Italy's that Claudia banged without thinking. But that still didn't explain everything.

"What does she look like?" he asked. He couldn't limit the possibilities to just guys in Italy. Maybe he could figure out who the father was if he knew some of her physical traits.

Ric laughed. "Every little bit like Claudia. She's got the same color hair, except it's longer and wavier. And the same face. She's shorter than Claudia, but they have the same figure. The only thing that's really different are their eyes. Claudia's are darker. Adriana's—actually, they're a lot like mine," said Ric, just realizing it. He remembered looking closely into them after he had saved her from drowning. They had looked so familiar, and now he remembered why: it had been like looking into his own.

Anthony took the description into account. The fact that she looked mostly like Claudia didn't help, but the fact that her eyes looked like Ric's was a tad suspicious. Maybe—no, could it be? Was that really possible?

"How old did you say she was again?" Anthony asked Ric as he did the math in his head.

Ric shrugged. "About sixteen, maybe older. She was with Kristina, so I'm assuming they're in the same grade. Maybe she's seventeen."

"And Claudia wouldn't tell you who the father was?" Anthony asked, just making sure. If it had been some random guy in Italy, Claudia would have nothing to hide. But if it was who Anthony thought it was…

Ric shook his head. "No. She said it was complicated. In fact, when I asked, she seemed very frightened that I might find out."

It was all making sense. Anthony should have figured it out before. Claudia was just as stupid back then as she was now. She definitely hadn't used protection during her little tryst with Trevor. She'd been too focused on making sure that he got kicked out. Her plan hadn't worked, but that wasn't the point.

Anthony couldn't help but laugh. The situation was as ironic as they came. He would never picture Claudia having children, but the fact that she did have one with Trevor, of all people, was just too priceless. That was what she got for being an idiot.

Ric didn't know what was so funny. Anthony must have put the pieces together, and he was curious as to who he thought the father was. "What is it?"

"Ric," said Anthony though his laughter, "did you ever hear what happened between my daughter and your father when Claudia was sixteen?"

Where was he going with this? "No."

"Well, let me tell you, it is quite a fascinating story," said Anthony, excited to be revealing what he had discovered. "You see, Claudia wasn't a big fan of Trevor's, not that anyone really was. To try and get me to fire him, she made up all these stories about how he touched and molested her, and said inappropriate things all the time. I didn't buy it, of course. She just wanted attention. She is her mother's daughter. Anyway, one day, I go into my office, so I can watch Maria pick the roses from the garden, and what do I find on my desk? Trevor banging the hell out of my sixteen-year-old daughter." Ric's mouth dropped in shock. Anthony just laughed and continued. "Claudia had seduced him, obviously, and kept claiming that he had raped her, which was just a bunch of crap. So that's why I sent her to Italy. That thing with Trevor was the final straw for me."

Ric had no idea what to say. Claudia and Trevor? Ew. And when she had been sixteen? That was even grosser. "Why did you decide to enlighten me with that pleasant story?" he asked Anthony sarcastically.

Anthony laughed again. "Because," he said, almost not able to get the words out, "I am almost one hundred percent positive that Trevor is the father of Claudia's daughter. Which would make you her brother."

Now Ric was totally speechless. Her brother? That girl that he had saved from drowning two days ago—that was his sister? Now that he thought about it, they did look a little similar, especially the eyes. But…what? He had a sister? By Claudia?

"Don't you just love irony?" Anthony mused. "Everything just always comes full circle, doesn't it?"

"She's…my sister?" Ric said, not sure what else to say.

Anthony chuckled again. "Quite a shock, huh? Claudia has some explaining to do. I mean, we still don't know why she's British, or why she disappeared, and then came back."

This changed everything. Ric's main purpose in telling Anthony about Adriana was so that they could somehow find a way to incorporate her into their master scheme. But now that he found out she was his…sister…he didn't really want to include his own flesh blood in this. He didn't know her from Adam, but she was still his sister. They shared DNA. Somewhere, in the back of their brains, they had a special connection that only occurred between siblings. And now that he knew she was his sister, or was almost positive, he wanted to get to know her. He didn't want her wrapped up in what he and Anthony were planning.

"This adds a whole new layer to it," said Anthony, still sounding giddy. "Now we have three things that should force Claudia to relinquish her power over the organization: what's happening tonight, whatever persuasion you're using, and this little bundle of joy that we've just discovered."

Ric could see the wheels starting to turn in Anthony's head, and felt like he had to do something to stop them. "Anthony, should we really be getting her involved in this? She's just a kid, and my sister. I don't want her getting hurt."

"Don't worry," Anthony assured, though Ric didn't feel any better. "I don't want to hurt her. If anything, I want to get to know her. She's my first grandchild. What did you say her name was again?"

"Adriana," Ric muttered reluctantly.

"Adriana," said Anthony, considering it. "It's a good name. A strong name. I tend to notice that people live up to their names, or down to them, depending on how you look at it. Adriana," he said again, smiling. "I like it. It makes me that much more intrigued to meet her."

Now Ric was really nervous. "What did you have in mind?"

Anthony waved his question away, as if it were a pesky fly. "We'll talk about that later. We really need to focus on tonight. Is everything ready?"

Fine, thought Ric. They'd talk about Adriana later. "Yes. Everyone knows what to do. I think it should all go smoothly."

Anthony smiled. "Good. Because I only have one shot."


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

"Move over," said Claudia as a way of greeting as she walked into the living room. Adriana was comfortably curled up on the couch, twirling her necklace absentmindedly as her eyes were fixed on the screen. With school and everything being so crazy, she was still catching up on all of her TV shows. She felt like such a couch potato, watching season finale after season finale of what seemed like every show under the sun. Adriana hadn't even realized how much television she watched until two weeks worth of it had clogged up the DVR. She usually caught up on weekends, but the past two weekends had been full of studying for finals. Now that summer had started, and she didn't have to be in bed by a certain hour, she could finally sit back, relax, and enjoy her shows until she was too tired to pay attention. But catching up on her old shows had caused her to get behind on the summer ones. Luckily, the TV in the summer wasn't as good, and she didn't have as many. But still…with her favorites and Claudia's favorites, it was a wonder that the DVR hadn't burst into flame yet.

"No, there's still half an hour left," she insisted as Claudia plopped down on the couch next to her. Adriana had finally made it to the season finale of _Glee_, and she was not going to stop watching just because Claudia wanted to change the channel.

Claudia looked at the screen to see Quinn giving birth to her daughter, the scene interchanging with Vocal Adrenaline's performance of the Queen medley. She had already watched it, and while it was good, there was new television on. "New Directions loses, Quinn and Puck name the baby Beth, and Shelby adopts it," said Claudia, snatching the remote from the hand that Adriana wasn't using to twirl her necklace. "You're welcome."

Adriana should have expected that. "You suck, did you know that?" she said, looking at her mother and trying not to smile.

"There is a new _Bachlorette _on tonight," Claudia insisted, exiting out of the DVR and changing the channel to ABC, "and I'm sick of finding out via the internet who got kicked off."

Adriana rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you watch this garbage."

"I watch it to make fun of it," said Claudia, laughing and looking at her daughter. "You just see all these guys pining after this girl's love, and no matter who wins, they'll end up splitting within six months of the finale. It's just entertaining to watch them all self-destruct."

Adriana shook her head, half amused, half concerned. "You are a sick, twisted woman, Claudia Zacchara. A sick, twisted woman who has a TV in her room."

"You know who else has a TV in their room?" Claudia asked mockingly. "Adriana Brown. Welcome to the magic of multi-room DVR."

Adriana just smirked. She and Claudia didn't fight anymore, except over the big-screen TV in the living room, and it wasn't real fighting. They were just joking around. They always gave away spoilers for each other on shows that they both watched, and made fun of shows that one of them watched that the other thought was stupid.

"Fine," Adriana groaned, giving up as she got off the couch. "You ruined the end for me anyway."

Claudia just grinned as the television flashed with a recap from the previous week's episode. "You should still watch," she said. "They sing 'Somewhere over the Rainbow' at the end, and it's really good. And there's still other stuff that happens that I didn't tell you about."

Adriana shrugged. It wasn't like she had anything better to do. "Alright, enjoy the quality television you're about to see," she mocked as she walked out the door. Claudia just smiled to herself. Finally, she had some peace. She loved Adriana, but when her shows were on, she didn't want anyone distracting her. Not even the news.

The opening credits had just started to roll when IMPORTANT NEWS BREAK flashed across the screen, the theme for the local news station playing behind it. Claudia rolled her eyes. This better be good.

"I'm standing in front of the Port Charles Penitentiary, where a prison riot has broken out," said the female reporter. The sun was setting behind her as she stood in front of the prison, which was surrounded by police cars, their red and blue lights flashing against the cement walls. "Two prison guards and one inmate have been killed, and several others are in critical condition. No word on who started the riot, but police believe it began as a distraction so that one of the prisoners could escape."

Oh, no, thought Claudia. Port Charles Penitentiary was where Anthony was staying. She hadn't heard much news from the place, and she found it quite suspicious that a riot had broken out just after Ric came back to town. But she shouldn't be too worried. The prison was high-security. There was no way that anyone, even Anthony, could have gotten out.

The reporter pressed a hand to her ear as whoever was talking to her fed her new information. "The guards are making the rounds of the cells, and so far no one is unaccounted—wait." She paused, listening intently to the voice in her ear. "There is one prisoner who guards cannot track down. His name is Anthony Zacchara, and given the evidence of several federal weapons that are missing from their storage, it has been reported that he is armed and dangerous."

The remote dropped out of Claudia's hand and onto the floor. Ric was one thing.

Anthony was another story.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_

"Hey, I got your message," said Johnny as Claudia pushed her way into his apartment. She took a quick sweep around the room for Olivia. She wasn't there, thank God. That would have just made things so much more complicated and stressful. The news was muted on Johnny's television, but Claudia could see that they were still doing coverage on the prison riot.

"He got out, Johnny," said Claudia, just staring at the screen. Anthony's mug shot appeared on it, and Claudia prayed that every citizen of Port Charles was watching, so that they could at least keep an eye out on his movements. That would really be all they could do, because no way would some Joe Shmoe catch him single handedly. You needed the army to pull off that kind of job.

Johnny walked over to his sister, putting his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her. "I talked to Mac. They put out an APB. They blocked off all the exits from Port Charles. Mac also said that Ric was on the visitor's log for today, and they're looking for him, too. Don't worry; they'll find both of them."

"Yeah, right," said Claudia, turning around to face her brother, not at all surprised to hear that Ric was involved. Her eyes were glistening with tears, and Johnny could see how scared she really was. "Like the PCPD have ever caught anyone. If they couldn't catch Sonny, how the hell are they gonna catch Daddy?"

Johnny tried to keep the situation calm. "Claudia, don't worry—"

"Don't tell me not to worry!" Claudia shouted at him. "He may love you, but he hates me! He didn't escape to sit down and have a nice family dinner with us! He has to know that I'm running the organization, and you know how much he tried to prevent that from happening! So either he wants it back, or he wants me dead, or both!"

"Claudia—"

"And Ric probably told him about Adriana!" she said, still yelling, her voice choked by fright and tears. "And Daddy isn't stupid! He probably did the math and knows she's Trevor's! And he probably told Ric, so now Ric knows that Adriana is his sister!"

"Just calm—"

"I cannot lose her, do you hear me? I will kill myself if anything happens to her! She has been through too damn much because of me! I can't—" She couldn't go on anymore. She just fell into Johnny and let him wrap his arms around her as she continued to cry, her breaths coming out in short gasps. Johnny didn't say anything. He knew that she just needed to let it all out.

After about thirty seconds of silence that was only broken by her sobs, Claudia finally choked out, "I am so scared, Johnny. Of everything. Of Ric, of Daddy…why can't they just leave us alone? It's not fair to you, or to me, and especially not to Adriana. She didn't ask for any of this."

"Come sit down," said Johnny, grabbing her hand and leading his sister over to the couch. She slowly sat down on it and rested her head on his shoulder as he continued holding her hand, asking, "Where is Adriana now?"

"At Kristina's," Claudia sniffled. "She's gonna stay there overnight. She knows what happened. She won't show it, but she's scared, too. I can tell. She was already nervous enough when Ric came back, but she knows everything that Daddy did to me, and my mom…I just don't want her to have to go through that. She doesn't deserve it."

"Do you think she'll be okay at Kristina's?" Johnny asked, his voice soothing.

Claudia nodded. "I told Alexis not to let her watch what was happening on the news. I want to be the one to tell her everything. Those reporters don't understand even half of what Daddy is capable of."

"So what're you going to do?" Johnny asked her.

Claudia shrugged, and Johnny could feel the defeat in it. "I don't know. I just want to give up."

Johnny pulled away from her so that he could look her in the eye. He didn't believe that for a second. "Since when do you give up?" he asked with a smile.

Claudia didn't return the smile. "Since it might keep my daughter safe. I know I always fought in the past, but Adriana wasn't a factor then. Maybe I'll just give Daddy what he wants, and he'll leave us alone."

Johnny stood up. "That's not the Claudia I know, and it's definitely not the Claudia that Adriana knows. You can't just let Dad walk all over you like he did when we were kids. You have to stand up to him. You can do it."

"I don't think I can," said Claudia, shaking her head. "Not him and Ric." She remembered what had happened the other day in her office. Nothing like that had ever happened to her, at least not since Trevor had been around. Maybe she was losing her touch. Maybe she really didn't know how to stick up for herself anymore. She was turning into her mother. Dominica had battled Anthony day in and day out for years, until one day she had just given up, leaving Claudia to deal with her father's abuse alone. Could the same thing be happening to Claudia now? Could she really be losing the strength that she had worked so hard to build up?

Johnny saw how defeated she looked, and his heart ached to see her sitting there, all her hope lost. "You won't be alone," he said. "I'll help you. We'll get our people together. Dad and Ric can't take down the Zacchara organization by themselves. We can stop them before they do anything to hurt you or Adriana."

While Johnny's pep talk brightened her spirits a tad, Claudia still didn't feel confident. "He knows me too well, John. He knows how I think. He knows where I'm weak, especially now that Adriana is involved."

"I won't let anything happen to her," Johnny promised. Then, he had an idea. "Look, I'll keep an eye on Adriana while you try to figure out a game plan. You'll be able to focus better if you know Adriana is safe, right?"

He had a point. "Well, yeah…"

"And I'll ask around, try to figure out what some of our guys know," Johnny continued. "I'm assuming that Dad swayed some of them over to his side. Maybe I can find the traitors and go from there."

"Do you really think we can beat him?" Claudia asked. She had never won a battle against her father, except for when he had gone to jail. But that had been Sonny and Jason's work. She had just been the damsel in distress. But this time, it would be her and Johnny that put him in his place for good.

Johnny smiled. "We have to beat him. He's tortured you your entire life. I'm not gonna let that start again."

Claudia had always found it so amazing that even though Johnny was her younger brother, he was usually the one protecting her. Even when they were kids, he had always stood up for her against bullies and their father. And now, years later, when they were both adults and fully capable of taking care of themselves, he was still protecting her, making sure that their father couldn't hurt her again. Claudia idolized her little brother, and would be forever grateful that he was risking his life to protect hers, and her daughter's.

Hopefully, it would be enough.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

"How much longer is your shift?" Johnny asked Adriana as she returned to the counter after dropping off someone's lunch order. He had already been sitting here for two hours while she worked, keeping his promise to Claudia that he'd watch Adriana carefully. There hadn't been any sign of Anthony since the previous night, and Johnny still felt like he should be focusing more on investigating the whereabouts of his father rather than watching Adriana waitress.

Adriana just looked at him, feeling bad. The two hours had gone by fast for her; lunchtime was the busiest time of day for Kelly's, so she had been working hard. But Johnny had just been sitting at the counter, which she knew had to be boring.

"Another hour," she answered, leaning her elbows on the counter to talk to him. No one needed her right now. She could get away with a quick break. "Bored?"

Johnny gave a soft groan, smiling. "A little."

"Then leave," said Adriana, straightening up. "Go meet up with Olivia or something."

Johnny shook his head. "I can't. I promised Claudia I'd keep an eye on you."

Adriana rolled her eyes. "I'm not five, Johnny. And look how crowded it is." She gestured over the entire diner. Every table was taken, and there were sure to be plenty more customers before her shift was over. "I don't think Anthony's gonna come in here and pull something with a bunch of people."

Johnny couldn't agree more, but he still insisted, "No, I'll stay. It'll just make Claudia feel better. That way she can work without worrying too much. And I don't need her on my back about ditching my niece for Olivia. That will only distract her more, and I don't want a lecture."

Adriana laughed. Johnny really did have Claudia down to a science. "Fine. But I feel bad that you have to just sit here. Bring a book tomorrow."

"You're working tomorrow, too?" Johnny asked, his face falling.

"Sorry," said Adriana, really meaning it. "But tomorrow's only a two-hour shift."

Well, that might be a little bit better. But Johnny would take her advice and bring a book. "Thank God for that," he said, and Adriana laughed. He stood up from his seat at the counter, stretched, and said, "I'm gonna go to the bathroom. You'll be okay here for a couple minutes?"

Adriana put a mockingly scared look on her face. "I don't know. My psycho grandfather might try to kidnap me in the middle of a packed diner," she said, pretending to whine with fear.

Johnny just rubbed the top of her head playfully as he walked by her, saying, "Don't underestimate him."

Once he left, Adriana rolled her eyes again. This whole thing was ridiculous. She didn't need her uncle following her around like she was a criminal. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself in a public venue. And he didn't even want to be here. He was only doing this to make Claudia feel better, which was actually probably a smart idea.

If Adriana thought Claudia breaking down after Ric had attacked her was something, then last night had sure as hell been a nightmare. Claudia hadn't spoken at all throughout the whole car ride to Kristina's. Her hands had held the wheel in a death grip while her eyes were focused straight ahead. The only thing she'd said to Adriana when they had finally made it to Kristina's was to be careful and not watch the news. Adriana could completely understand her fear. She had heard far too many stories about her grandfather and what he had done to Claudia. If she was Claudia, she'd feel the exact same way.

But even though Adriana knew that she really should be frightened of Anthony, she couldn't force herself to muster up the fear. Yes, he had hated her mother and had treated her terribly, but did Adriana really have to worry about herself? Would Anthony consider her the devil's spawn since Claudia was her mother, or would he leave her alone? He was crazy, so it could really go both ways. But Adriana was more afraid for her mother's safety and sanity than she was for her own.

With nobody needing her assistance at the moment, and not wanting Mike to think she was slacking off if he came out of the kitchen, Adriana grabbed a rag and started wiping down the counter, just for something to do. As she was doing so, an elderly man approached the counter. He was wearing a Yankee baseball cap and jacket, and was smiling at Adriana pleasantly.

"What can I get you?" she asked, pulling over a pad of paper and pen.

"Oh, I'm not here for anything to eat," he said. "I was looking for someone who could help me."

Adriana raised a confused eyebrow and asked, "With what?"

"You see, I'm new in town," the man explained, "and I was looking for a place to buy flowers. My new apartment has this beautiful terrace that catches the sun for a good part of the day, and I'd love to set up a garden box full of red roses. They were my wife's favorite," he mused, his eyes practically glazing over as he got lost in whatever memory was coming back to him. The memory only lasted for a second, though, as he looked Adriana in the eyes again, saying, "I could really use some help finding a place, if you're not too busy."

Adriana scanned the diner. The lunch crowd was slowing down a little. Mike would be able to hold down the fort for a couple minutes without her. There was a florist a few stores down the pier. She'd be there and back in no time. This man was being so nice and patient, and all he wanted was for someone to help him.

"Hold on one second," she said, backing towards the kitchen.

"Take your time," said the man, glancing around the diner with mild interest.

Adriana opened the door to the kitchen to see Mike flipping burgers. "Hey, Mike, there's a guy here that needs to know where the florist is. Mind if I step out for a second and show him? I'll be back in five minutes."

"Hurry up," answered Mike. "We're very busy."

Adriana exited the kitchen and turned back to the man at the counter, who was still smiling pleasantly. "My boss said I could go, but I have to make it fast. It's not that far."

The man nodded. "Sure. Thank you for doing this for me."

"No problem," said Adriana, untying her black apron and stuffing it on a shelf behind the counter. She walked around the counter and towards the door, the old man following her. As they walked outside, Adriana tried to keep her pace easy and slightly brisk at the same time, but the man didn't have any trouble keeping up with her.

"So I'm assuming you haven't lived in Port Charles your whole life?" he asked her as they walked. Adriana looked at him confusedly, and he clarified. "Your accent."

Right, thought Adriana. Sometimes, she forgot she even had one. "Yeah, I moved her from England just last year."

"Did one of your parents have to move for their jobs?" he asked, politely curious.

Adriana bit her bottom lip. "Actually, it's kind of complicated. I was adopted, and, long story short, extenuating circumstances reunited me with my biological mother."

The man smiled. "Well, that's interesting. What about your father? Were you ever reunited with him?"

This was getting a little personal, Adriana thought, but she humored him anyway. He was just a kind old man. He didn't really mean anything by his innocent questions. "Actually, my father died before I met him. Some freak accident at the hospital."

"Oh, I see," said the man, nodding. "Well, it's still quite amazing that you were reunited with your mother. I love stories like that."

Adriana nodded, not really finding it necessary to go into how she had found out Claudia was her mother in the first place. "Yeah, it is pretty fascinating." She wanted to change the subject. "Where did you move here from?"

"Just the city," said the man, shrugging. "I needed a change of pace. Manhattan was just too busy for me."

Adriana laughed. "I think you moved to the wrong place," she said. "Port Charles is anything but easygoing."

The man chuckled along with her. "Yes, but anything's better than the city. At least around here, I don't sit in traffic for an hour every morning."

Now he had a valid point. "That makes sense," said Adriana. They didn't have much farther to go until they reached the florist, whose location she was aware of from buying flowers for Claudia on her birthday last year. "We're almost there."

"Again, thank you so much for helping me," said the man, his eyes filled with gratitude. "It really does mean a lot. I miss my wife very much, and red roses just bring back all the wonderful memories we had together."

Adriana frowned sympathetically. "I'm so sorry for your loss. How long has she been gone?"

"Too long," said the man with a sad smile. "Every day without her feels like a year."

This comment struck Adriana at her core. When her father had only traveled for work occasionally, before her whole family had spent their life on the road, Adriana's mother would always be counting down the days until he returned, saying that each day she waited was longer than the last. Adriana hadn't seen that kind of matrimonial compassion in quite some time, and even though it was a sad story that this man was telling, she was kind of happy to see it spring up in her life again.

"That's beautiful," she said to him, truly meaning it.

The man smiled at her. "It's the truth," he said. At this point, they had reached the florist, stopping just outside the door to exchange their parting words.

"Here we are," said Adriana, smiling and turning around to face the man. "Told you it wasn't far."

The man returned the smile as he said, "You should get back to work. But thank you again for being so kind to me. I haven't met very many compassionate people in this town."

And you're not going to, Adriana thought to herself. "I was happy to help," she said. She watched as the man headed into the florist, smiled to herself, and started to walk back to Kelly's.

As Johnny walked out of the bathroom and back towards the counter, he expected to still see Adriana there, perhaps with some smartass comment about how frightened she had been while he had stepped away from his duty for two seconds. But she wasn't there. He scanned the diner. She wasn't at any tables, or on her way to delivering orders. Maybe she had gone to the bathroom as well, he thought, but didn't really think that was where she was. She was the only waitress on this shift. She couldn't afford to leave her job for a second.

Just as he started to become a little concerned, Mike made his way out of the kitchen, hurrying across the diner to deliver a couple hamburgers to some hungry customers. As he started to head back to the kitchen, Johnny stopped him in his path.

"Where's Adriana?" he asked, trying not to show his worry.

"She stepped out for a minute," said Mike. "Some guy came in here and needed directions to the florist, so she went with him to show him where it was. She should be back soon."

As Mike walked back into the kitchen to continue preparing lunch orders, Johnny felt his stomach wrench with a bad feeling about the situation. It made sense that Adriana would try to help someone who needed it; ever since she had ended things with Kyle, she had become very big on being selfless. But something in the back of his mind told him that the man who had come in and asked for her help wasn't any ordinary citizen.

Johnny bolted for the door as soon as this thought passed through his brain and started huffing it towards the florist's. It was most likely nothing, and Adriana would definitely be pissed at him for not trusting her alone in broad daylight for five seconds. But what if it wasn't nothing? Johnny would never forgive himself if something happened to her under his watch. Claudia would kill him, for sure. She had been right the other night; Adriana had been through more than anyone should ever have to go through, and a lot of it hadn't been her fault. And he wasn't about to let one more incident add itself to that very volatile list.

Adriana kept thinking about the kind old man and what he had said about his wife as she came closer to Kelly's. She was so caught up in her thoughts as she reached the waterfront that she almost bumped into a man in a nice suit on the pier. He was just standing there, his stoic figure facing the direction she had come from, his hands clasped in front of him. She stopped herself just before she hit him, saying, "I'm sorry. Excuse me." She tried to move to the right and walk around him, but he took one large step to the right, blocking her way again. Adriana looked up at his face, since he was almost a foot taller than her. His green eyes were malevolent with purpose, and Adriana suddenly realized what was happening.

Without thinking twice, she spun around and was about to start to run in the opposite direction, but the man grabbed her upper arm, his strength practically cutting off her blood flow. His other hand reached into his pocket and procured a shiny new revolver that glinted dangerously in the afternoon sun. Despite her mother's mob affiliation, Adriana still had mini heart attacks whenever she saw a firearm. Her breathing immediately started to speed up as she tried to pull from the man's grasp. But he only held her tighter, smiling victoriously.

Adriana had no other option. She opened her mouth to scream, but once again, the man was too fast for her. Quick as a flash, he removed his hand from around her arm and encircled it around her neck, pressing it firmly against her mouth and pulling her towards him. Adriana continued to scream, the sound muffled by the man's large hand. She struggled against him, kicking her legs and flailing her body, but it was no use. He held her tight, the gun in the other hand pressed deep into her side.

"Shh," the man said, smiling at her struggle as Adriana tried to pull his hand from her mouth. "Your grandfather won't be very happy if I bring you to him all emotional."

At the mention of Anthony, Adriana struggled harder. Even though earlier she had claimed to have no fear of him, she now felt what she had denied pierce her at her very core, making her blood run cold and her head spin. She didn't want to meet him, ever. He had done so many awful things to Claudia. And it looked like he wasn't going to spare Adriana any less pain.

As the man started to drag her away, kicking and screaming, Adriana heard footsteps on the dock. She looked up to see Johnny running towards her, his gun out and pointed between her captor's eyes.

"Let her go, or I'll kill you," he threatened, his voice more commanding than Adriana had ever heard it.

The man made no indication of following Johnny's orders. If anything, he just tightened his grip around Adriana. "But her grandfather wants to meet her," he said. "He'll be very disappointed if he doesn't get the chance."

"Let her go, and you can go free," said Johnny, his desperation evident in his voice. He was not leaving here without Adriana. "I won't tell anyone what happened. I'll find a place to hide you from my father until someone finally catches him. I'll make you an integral part of the Zacchara organization. Just let her go, and you'll be richer than you could possibly imagine."

The man laughed, and Adriana could feel the rhythm of it against his chest. "Your father has already promised me everything I'll ever need in life. And he'll be running the Zacchara organization before you know it. Your promise means nothing." He pulled his gun away from Adriana's side and pointed it at Johnny, still laughing.

Adriana saw her opportunity. With the gun pointed elsewhere, and with Johnny as a distraction, she put every ounce of strength she had into pulling the hand away from her mouth and running towards Johnny before the man could figure out what happened. The man looked at his arm, now empty, with shock, as if he couldn't force himself to believe what had just happened. Just as Adriana reached Johnny, he took aim at the two of them, not really caring which one his bullet hit as he fired the gun.

Johnny pushed Adriana to the ground and dove out of the way himself before the bullet could make contact with either of them. Just as they were both getting up, a booming voice sounded from behind the man, screaming, "What the hell are you doing? I told you not to shoot!"

The man spun around, and Johnny and Adriana looked over his broad shoulders to see where the voice was coming from. Adriana recognized the newcomer instantly; it was the old man she had helped to find the florist. But Johnny knew him by a better name.

"Dad," he said, almost not believing his eyes. Yes, Anthony had escaped from prison and was running around Port Charles, but Johnny hadn't expected to see him so soon, especially in the midst of one of his grand schemes.

Adriana's head turned sharply when she heard Johnny utter that one word. The kind old man she had helped, who had talked so lovingly of his dead wife—that was Anthony?

"How come every time you want something done right, you have to do it yourself?" Anthony said, still yelling as he walked down the steps to the dock, looking his soldier right in the face. Even though the soldier towered over Anthony, and could probably break his neck like a twig, he looked absolutely frightened as his boss's face continued turning an extremely dark shade of red. "I gave you one stipulation: don't shoot! What good is she to me dead?"

"Mr. Zacchara, I'm—"

"Do not apologize!" Anthony growled. "Apologies are for the weak and incompetent. You're lucky you didn't hit her or my son, or you would be dying a very slow and painful death right now."

"Dad," Johnny said again, his voice still full of disbelief.

Anthony turned at the sound of his son's voice, and his angry face immediately changed into a maniacal grin of delight. "John," he said, starting to walk towards his son.

Johnny immediately raised his gun again, aiming clearly at his father. "Don't even think about it."

Anthony took a step back, still smiling. "You have my determination, that's for sure." His eyes moved from Johnny to Adriana, who stood stock still as she tried to overcome her shock. Anthony's grin grew even wider. "Protecting your niece, I see. I can't help but admire that."

"Leave her alone," said Johnny, his voice a deadly whisper, the grip on his gun growing tighter.

Anthony continued looking at Adriana, who just wanted to pass out. "I hope you realize how lucky you are to have an uncle like him. My son is very protective of those he loves." He turned to his soldier. "Let's go before you do something stupid again." He looked back at Adriana one more time as he began to leave. "It's a shame we didn't really get to know each other. But I'm sure the chance will come again soon." Finally and mercifully, he and the soldier turned the corner, leaving Johnny and Adriana alone.

Adriana turned towards Johnny, tears flowing in her eyes. "You let him get away."

Johnny sighed. "It was two against one, since I'm assuming he was armed. He always is. I wouldn't have been able to get him, and you might've gotten hurt in the process."

Adriana couldn't take it anymore, any of it. Someone who wanted to hurt her family was on the loose, and they had just missed their chance of catching him. She had been tricked of someone's identity for the second time in less than a year. She had trusted someone who appeared caring and kind, but who was really vindictive and scheming. And, most of all, she was sick of not being counted as someone who could help. Two against one? Last time she checked, she was a person. It would have been two on two. She had escaped from that guy (granted, with Johnny's help, but she had been strong enough to escape from his grip). She could help in a time of crisis. Why the hell was everyone always treating her like some freaking damsel in distress that couldn't figure out how to fight for herself? Did she really come off as that naïve and innocent, weak and stupid? Was she really supposed to spend the rest of her life hiding in a corner while other people defended her and fought for her? How was she ever supposed to face her fears if no one would let her?

She didn't tell Johnny any of this. She just continued crying, letting her tears express her thoughts. Johnny holstered his gun and put his arms around her. It was the last thing Adriana wanted, since it made her seem even weaker and more docile than she already seemed to appear. She pulled away from his hug, wiping her eyes and trying not to look scared. "I want to go home," she said, trying not to let her voice become choked by her tears.

Johnny didn't get it. He was just trying to comfort her. She had just been through a terrible ordeal. Why didn't she want his compassion? He had hugged her before in times of great crisis. Why, now, was she rejecting it?

Despite his confusion, Johnny didn't ask the questions he was thinking. He just said, "Okay, I'll take you home." They began to walk towards the car. Johnny had the urge to put his arm around his niece, since he could still hear her trying to swallow her tears before they reached the surface. But he refrained. She obviously didn't want to be touched or comforted in any way, and he didn't want to make her more upset.

As they walked to the car, Adriana folded her arms in sullen silence. She wasn't taking any of this crap any longer. She wouldn't ever let herself be tricked or cornered ever again. And she definitely wasn't going to sit by idly while Johnny and Claudia took this on by themselves.

No, she had watched from a distance for too long. It was finally time for her to step up and face the facts: this mob life that she had been thrown into would never go away. No matter how hard she tried, she'd never be able to defeat the violence that had begun to permeate her life since the night of her parents' deaths.

Adriana finally began to feel a sense of understanding and empathy towards Claudia. Her whole life, Claudia had watched everything she loved be destroyed by the mafia. Her mother had been sent away, never to be heard from again. She had been abused by her father and molested by Trevor. She had given her body in an attempt to finally be free, and had instead ended up pregnant and packed away to Italy. And through all that torture and trauma, being shuffled from one incident to the next, she had still ended up in the business. Crime had torn her life apart, and she had still been forced to embrace it. Maybe the same thing was happening to Adriana now. The violence would never stop, no matter how much she wished it to be so. And what good was she to the world if she just sat and watched while others fought her battles? Sure, they were battles that most people never had to face, but what lesson could be learned from being a coward?

As long as she had known Claudia, Adriana had seen nothing that the two of them had in common. Her upbringing had been one of the best. She'd had two parents who'd loved her, even though she hadn't really been theirs. But her life had also been torn apart by violence. She had rejected it for so long, never wanting to end up like Sonny, killing innocent people just to protect herself. Even with these new realizations, Adriana never envisioned herself as a killer. What right did she have to take a life from someone? But it looked like she only had two choices down the road: fight or flight. She was tired of ignoring and running away from her problems. She had to grow up and face them, like the adult she was always claiming to be.

An old saying penetrated Adriana's brain: "If you can't beat them, join them." Well, she couldn't beat this life that she had been thrown into. It would always come back for another round. So it looked like there was only one way to go.

It was finally time to accept what fate had been preparing her for all her life.

It was time to pick herself up, dust herself off, and fight back.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_

"Are you kidding me, Johnny?" Claudia screamed. Johnny was standing in the middle of the study, his hands in his pockets and a guilty look on his face. Claudia stood behind the desk, her face angrier than Johnny had ever seen it. Her brown eyes were slits and her skin was pale with fear as she learned what had happened on the pier that afternoon.

Johnny had brought Adriana home after the incident, neither of them saying a word to each other. Adriana didn't seem in the mood to talk, which didn't surprise Johnny. What had surprised him, however, was the fact that she had been able to stop her tears by the time they had gotten back to the house. He thought she would have been a basket case the whole way home. But maybe she was building up an immunity to things like this. He couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

After Adriana had headed up to her room, still without a word, Johnny had gone to the study to inform Claudia of what had happened. Throughout his story, Claudia's face had switched between scared and angry; one second, her were eyes filling with tears, and the next, she was looking around for something to throw.

Right now, she was very, very angry. Johnny took total responsibility for leaving Adriana alone long enough for Anthony to come in and lure her into his trap. Adriana wasn't a child (which Johnny knew from her repeated insisting of the fact), but how could she have known what Anthony looked like, especially when Claudia had told her not to watch the news? And she, like Johnny, would never expect him to pull something like that during the day at a very public and busy venue. But that was the thing with Anthony; he always did something you never saw coming.

"You were supposed to keep an eye on her!" Claudia shouted. In all honesty, she wasn't mad at Johnny. Of course he wouldn't think that something like this would happen. Neither would she. She was mad about the situation, but Johnny was the only one around to receive the brunt of her anger. "You were supposed to make sure that something like this didn't happen!"

"Claudia, I know," said Johnny, keeping his voice low. Shouting back would do nothing but start a fight, which they couldn't afford right now. Anthony had come very close to kidnapping Adriana this afternoon. They really couldn't afford a distraction as trivial as an argument. "I'm sorry. I would never intentionally do anything to put Adriana in danger. You know that. I love her just as much as you do."

Claudia took a deep breath, collecting herself. She had gotten her frustration out. Now it was time to act like an adult. "I know, and I'm sorry for yelling at you. It's just—she's my daughter, Johnny. It kills me to see things like this happen to her, especially from Daddy. He tortured me, but I will not let him torture her." Her voice was strong and determined, but she still couldn't help but let her tears fall. Being frightened for herself was one thing. But seeing Adriana in such pain, especially at Anthony's hands, was a slow and torturous death in itself. Claudia, at this point in her life at least, deserved what she got. She made enemies and felt the consequences. Every bullet wound, knife wound, and wounded heart was a repercussion of her actions. But Adriana had done nothing. She had never hurt anyone intentionally, at least not in a way that couldn't be fixed. She had said mean things to Claudia, but those could be taken back and forgiven. Adriana had never done anything to deserve enemies or torment from people who saw her as leverage, as an interesting piece to the puzzle, a pawn in the game of crime.

"What should we do?" Johnny asked.

Claudia had absolutely no idea. She was so lost. Anthony seemed five steps ahead of them. He had already found out where and when Adriana worked. He had to know other things about her, and there was no doubt that by this time, he knew Trevor was her father. And there hadn't been any sign of Ric since Claudia had last seen him in her office. Who knew what he was off doing? He was a sociopath, but he was not stupid.

"We need to take this one step at a time," she said, sitting down and trying to organize her thoughts. She forced herself to focus on one issue at a time. The most urgent one right now: Adriana's safety. "We can't let Daddy and Ric use Adriana in any way. I obviously don't want her getting hurt, and she's the best bargaining chip against me. Any demand they'd make with her as the price I'd accept, no question. I'm not playing games like I did when Sonny took her. That got her stabbed, and with Daddy, something worse could happen."

Johnny was glad to see that Claudia was thinking clearly and logically. He could not carry this whole operation by himself while she wallowed in worry and guilt. They needed to put personal matters aside and focus on what was really going on: business.

Claudia looked up at Johnny, her eyes begging a favor. "I need you to help me keep her safe."

The answer to that demand was obvious. "Of course, Claudia. What happened today will never happen again."

"That's why I want you to get Adriana out of the country."

Johnny's eyes opened wide with shock. "The country? Isn't that a little extreme?"

"You're lucky I'm not asking you to take her to Mars," Claudia said through gritted teeth. "Nothing is extreme when it comes to Daddy. He doesn't have time to go prancing around the world looking for his granddaughter. You and I both know that he wants me and the organization. Taking Adriana out of the country eliminates her as a target and forces me to focus more on catching Daddy."

It made a little sense, but Johnny still didn't see a full-fledged plan coming into motion. "Where do you propose I take her?"

Wasn't it obvious? "Uncle Rudy's, duh," said Claudia, rolling her eyes. "He'll keep her safe. He and Daddy haven't spoken in years, and he owes me a few favors."

"Don't you think that'll be the first place Dad looks?" asked Johnny.

"Like I said," Claudia explained again, "Daddy can't afford to search every nook and cranny of the world to find her. He doesn't let himself get distracted easily, except when it comes to my freaking stepmother." She saw the hurt in Johnny's eyes as she brought up the woman who had given birth to him. While Maria had doted on Johnny like he was the king of England, she hadn't really given Claudia the same treatment. Claudia didn't mind if Johnny respected his mother, but she didn't.

Johnny ignored the snide remark about his deceased mother, saying, "Fine, I'll make sure she gets to Uncle Rudy's safely. Do you want me to come back afterwards?"

"Of course," she said, standing up. "I can't do this without you." Johnny walked over to his sister and put his arms around her, hugging her close, letting his love and support transfer from his soul to hers. Claudia reciprocated the hug, clinging to her brother like a life preserver, which she sort of viewed him as.

After the hug was over, Claudia looked up at her brother, putting her hands in her pockets as she said, "I guess we should tell Adriana she's going to Italy before we send her, huh?"

"That might be a good idea," said Johnny, putting his arm around his sister's shoulders and guiding her towards the door of the office. "And you should probably call Uncle Rudy to inform him he'll be having guests."

Claudia smiled. "I know he won't refuse. Like I said: he owes me a few favors. And he was with me throughout the whole pregnancy. I'm sure he'd love to meet Adriana." As they walked towards the door, an eerie sense of déjà vu hit her. "This whole situation is way too familiar."

"How so?" asked Johnny as they walked through the doors and towards the stairs.

"Because I went to Italy within hours of finding out I was leaving," explained Claudia. "I also hadn't had a choice in the matter."

Johnny grinned. "What, are you afraid Adriana's going to turn into you or something?" he asked with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

Claudia didn't find it quite so funny. "Isn't it inevitable, though? Don't we all turn into our parents eventually?"

Johnny shrugged. "I don't think so. I'm not like Dad or my mom, at least I don't think."

"No, you're definitely not," said Claudia, shaking her head. "But I think I'm turning into my mom. At least lately."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Johnny inquired.

Claudia wasn't quite sure. "Dominica Zacchara didn't take crap from anyone—"

"Sounds like someone I know," said Johnny as they started to ascend the stairs slowly.

"But there came a day when she couldn't fight Daddy anymore," Claudia continued. "She was about my age when that day came. And I'm starting to feel that way, too."

Johnny stopped walking when they were about halfway up the stairs to give his sister a pep talk similar to the one he had given her the previous night. "You can fight back," he insisted, staring directly into her eyes. "We're not gonna let Dad get the best of either of us."

Claudia smiled, feeling a little uplifted by her brother's support. "I know. But whatever we do, it has to be permanent. I don't want go through this with him ever again."

Adriana sat cross-legged on the floor of her room, facing the full-length mirror that hung on the back of her door. She had been sitting here and staring at herself for quite some time, trying to figure out the first step of redefining herself and proving that she wasn't just a burden that needed to be protected.

She thought of Claudia. Claudia was the toughest person she knew. She was stubborn as hell, didn't take anyone's crap, and would fight to her dying breath for what she believed in. She had a kind of vulnerability about her, but only those who knew her really well had ever seen it. And she always found a way to turn her weaknesses into strengths.

Adriana considered the facts. She had inherited her mother's stubborn nature, so that wasn't an issue. She had been practicing tolerance these last few months, when people tried to point out what she was doing wrong. It was easier to pick her battles instead of engaging in every one. But that had to change. She wasn't letting people push her around anymore. She'd stand up for herself against snide comments and bullets alike. Nobody said it was easy, and Adriana was glad to have been blessed with a good work ethic. She would try day in and day out to make this change work. It was better than the alternative.

She went back to thinking about Claudia. Not only was Claudia tough on the inside, but she was also tough on the outside. Her appearance, her presence, demanded everyone's attention. The way she carried herself, the way she talked…she always came off as smart and confident, even when all she wanted to do was sit in a corner and cry. Her clothing choices also helped. The whole black and red thing she had going on had to be an asset when dealing with other mob bosses. It showed that she was in no way weak or scared. It represented a will to fight and a wall to block out the unwanted.

Adriana looked at herself in the mirror again, really focused on her physical appearance. Some things could be changed. Others couldn't. Like her height. She was going to be five one for the rest of her life, whether she liked it or not. But that was only one factor. There were other things she could do. Her hair, for starters. She had worn it this way since the fifth grade: medium-dark brown, wavy, and down to the middle of her back. When she got the chance, she'd cut it short and dye it darker, and would straighten it every day. Adriana actually hated straightening her hair; she didn't like applying too much heat to it, and it took so long. But if her hair was shorter, and if she did it every day, it wouldn't be so bad.

After deciding what to do with her hair, Adriana considered her makeup. She didn't wear a lot of it, but, like any girl, she liked to look good. She wore it the "natural" way, only using it to enhance her facial features, not change them. She used light brown eyeliner and the same color shadow, and only used a little mascara. She rarely ever wore anything on her lips, but sometimes she'd use light pink gloss if she was going somewhere special. This too, she realized, needed to change. She'd use black eyeliner instead of brown, and a lot more mascara. With her dark eyes, it would be perfect for what she wanted to achieve. If she ever wore gloss, it would be a darker pink, not that light cotton candy stuff she normally used.

Next, Adriana looked down at her clothes, and immediately felt her stomach sink. This would take a lot more work. Adriana only owned a few black things, and little to no red. Right now, she was wearing a pink tank-top with white shorts and white flip-flops, the paint on her nails closely resembling the color of a baby pig. She dressed like a little innocent freshman on their first day of high school. But right after she dealt with her hair and makeup, she'd go shopping for all new clothes. She had enough money saved up to at least make a dent in this project of hers.

As she continued looking in the mirror, an interesting thought entered Adriana's mind. She had learned about eating disorders in school, and even knew a couple girls who were anorexic. Whenever Adriana bumped into one of them in the school bathrooms, they'd always be staring at themselves in the mirror, claiming to be fat, even though they were all skin and bones. Was this in the same family? Adriana knew that there was nothing really wrong with the way she looked; she wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, but she wasn't ugly, and she dressed like most girls in her grade. But when she looked at herself in the mirror, she didn't like what she saw, so she was setting out to change it. Was there a name for something like that? Or was she just going through an identity crisis? Nothing was wrong with wanting to change your look, if it wasn't unhealthy, right? New hair and new clothes didn't mean anything. It wasn't like she was starving herself. No, what she was planning was normal. People did things like this all the time to promote a new self-image.

Her thoughts of change were interrupted by a knock on her door. Adriana smiled a little to herself, glad that Claudia was finally getting used to the whole "knocking before entering" concept that they had discussed. Adriana stood up and turned the knob, Claudia and Johnny pushing their way into her room, both of them looking nervous.

"What's up?" she asked casually. She was trying extremely hard not to let it seem like the day's events had gotten to her. It was difficult, but necessary if she wanted to change into this new ideal self she had discovered.

Claudia and Johnny exchanged a glance, both of them half nervous about telling Adriana about her little trip, their other halves wondering how she could be so calm after what had happened to her today. Claudia turned to her daughter and asked, "First of all, are you okay?"

Damn, thought Adriana. She thought she had been doing a better job of not letting what had happened get to her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I wasn't hurt."

"But you could have been," Claudia reasoned. "That's why I need you to do something for me, and not fight me on it."

Adriana wondered if what her mother was talking about would help with her change. If it did, she was all for it. "What is it?"

Claudia looked nervously at Johnny again before saying, "I think it would be a good idea if we got you out of the line of fire, so Johnny's going to take you to Uncle Rudy's villa in Milan tonight."

Adriana's mouth dropped open in shock. "What? Why?"

"If you think it's because you being here is causing trouble, it's not," Claudia explained hastily. "I just don't want you to get hurt. I'm finally taking responsibility for your safety, which is something I should have done right when Daddy escaped from prison. I promise Uncle Rudy will keep you safe, and you can come home as soon as everything's been handled."

This was her chance, to finally take the first step of forming her new self. "I'm not going," she said. It wasn't a complaint, a question, or a request. It was a demand, an affirmative statement of what Adriana was going to do.

The type of response that Claudia received from Adriana had not been what she'd expected. She had thought she might say something along the lines of, "I don't want to go" or "Do I have to?" But Adriana was blatantly refusing to do as Claudia said, something Claudia thought they had gotten over.

Johnny stepped in now, trying to back his sister up. "Adriana, you have to," he insisted. "If you stay here, Dad will try to get to you again. We can't let that happen. We're not trying to punish you. We're just trying to keep you safe."

"I can keep myself safe," Adriana said, just as insisting as Johnny. "I'm not a little kid who needs to be 'protected' or whatever. I can take care of myself. What happened today was something I didn't expect, but now I know better. I can help you guys, if you'd just let me."

Claudia couldn't believe the words coming out of Adriana's mouth. She could "help" them? What did that mean? Well, Claudia knew what it meant, but she didn't want to admit it was true. There was no way that Adriana could be insinuating that she wanted to join the business. That could not be happening. "Adriana, this isn't up for discussion. You're going, and that's final."

"Why do you guys think I can't stand up for myself?" Adriana questioned, slightly hurt by what they were suggesting. "Is it because I've been the victim so many times? Because I promise I won't be the victim anymore. After everything I've been through, I've started to learn some things, things that I think will make me a stronger person."

"Adriana, we're not calling you weak, if that's what you think," said Claudia. "You're one of the strongest people I know." Adriana smiled. That, coming from Claudia, meant a lot. "You've been through so much in such a short amount of time, and you've managed to make it over any obstacle that life has thrown your way. But this is different. This isn't an obstacle. This is a battle, a war. And it shouldn't have to concern you. It's starting to, but we can change that. I want this be between me and Daddy."

Adriana could understand that. Personal battles meant a lot to the individuals that engaged in them. There were just some things that you had to face on your own. But Adriana was involved in a personal battle right now with herself, and going to Italy was not going to help her win it. "But you don't have to send me halfway across the world. I promise to take care of myself here, and not make anything difficult for you. I can stay out of the way, I promise."

They weren't getting anywhere with this. "Adriana—" But a sound from downstairs stopped Claudia before she could continue. The noise was faint, but audible.

"Did you hear that?" Claudia asked Adriana and Johnny. The noise sounded again, this time louder. "And that?"

Johnny nodded. "Sounded like breaking glass." The sound came again, even louder this time.

"What do you think broke?" Adriana asked, trying to remain calm, cool, and collected while her brain was spinning with nerves.

Claudia didn't answer, just moved slowly towards the open door as the sound was heard for the fourth time.

Johnny watched his sister and said nervously, "Claudia, I don't think that's a good idea."

"I'm just gonna look over the banister and see what's going on," she said, finally walking out the door. Johnny and Adriana followed her, neither of them wanting her to go alone. When they reached the banister, the three of them peered over it, but didn't see anything. They heard the sound of breaking glass again, though, and this time it was most definitely getting closer.

"What is going on?" Adriana whispered, fearing that the three of them were not alone in the house.

Claudia, instead of answering, stood up straight, her eyes unfocused as she realized something. "Do you guys smell that?"

Johnny and Adriana sniffed the air, and they both smelled the same thing. It was barely noticeable unless you took a whiff of it, but once they did, the smell was as clear as day.

"It's smoke," said Johnny, his voice low with worry.

Just as he said those two words, the loudest crash yet sounded throughout the house. The three of them looked down into the entrance hall and saw that one of the windows had a gaping hole through it, some glass shards covering the wood floor. Among the shards was what looked like a bundle of blankets, but they must have been tied around something heavy to have gone through the window. The second the bundle landed, it burst into flame, the smell of smoke filling the air completely.

Claudia took one look at the small but growing fire at the bottom of the stairs, and felt like she wanted to pass out.

Because that wasn't the only bundle of flames that had been thrown into the house.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten_

The second the small bundle burst into flame, Johnny and Adriana snapped their heads in Claudia's direction. "What do we do?" Johnny asked frantically. The crackling of fire was getting louder, which meant the fires from the bundles that were thrown into the other windows were spreading.

Claudia's face had turned a ghostly white. She thought Anthony trying to kidnap Adriana had been extreme. But now he was trying to burn the freaking house down? That was way beyond what she thought even he would try.

"Claudia!" Johnny shouted as the roar of the fire grew louder. The entrance hall was burning fast, and they were still on the second floor. They needed to get out of here.

Johnny's shout of her name brought Claudia back to the issue at hand. She looked down at the spreading flames, gulping back a frightened lump in her throat. "We'll have to go out the back!" she yelled to her brother. "The front door is blocked!"

Adriana looked over the banister. Claudia's words were true. A line of flames blocked the entrance of the front door, but there were still sections of unburned floor near the hallway that led to the back of the house. They'd make it. With a few burns, perhaps, but they could do it. They had to.

"Come on!" Claudia shouted, leading the way down the stairs, her four-inch heels thumping with each frantic step they took. Johnny was right behind her, his hand sliding swiftly down the railing. Adriana brought up the rear, trying not to trip as she followed her mother and uncle. They had gotten down the steps just in time; as Adriana's feet finally touched the first floor, the fire started moving up the stairs, the railing that Johnny had been using just seconds earlier beginning to crumble under the flame's force.

The three of them ran down the hall, passing the open door of the office, which was completely unrecognizable. Everything in there was burned, and the fire was growing stronger. None of them had seen a fire grow so quickly, but Anthony must have meant serious business when he had thrown the heavy bundles through the windows.

Claudia and Johnny passed the office with ease, but just as Adriana was about to pass it as well, a burning beam from the ceiling came crashing down in front of her, a mere six inches from her feet, which had stopped dead in their tracks. If she had taken another step, she would have been killed.

Johnny and Claudia heard the crash and turned around to see Adriana standing behind the beam, which cut off the hall diagonally, leaving no room for her to pass. The fire from the beam was spreading just as quickly as the fire in the rest of the house, and Adriana took a couple steps back, coughing from all the smoke.

"Adriana!" Claudia shouted, tears forming in her eyes. She didn't want to stand there and watch her daughter burn, especially with such a look of fright on her face. But she couldn't go any closer, or else she would meet the same fate.

Adriana watched the beam burn in front of her, an impending sense of doom settling in her stomach. She didn't want to die this way, slowly and painfully. She continued coughing, tears forming in her eyes from her fear and the flames. She took another step back as the fire came closer. But after that last step, she realized something: she didn't have to meet a fiery death. The old Adriana would have accepted that, but not the new one. She took one last step back, a preparation step, then hurled herself into the air and over the beam, landing on her face on the other side.

"Oh, God," said Claudia as she and Johnny ran towards her daughter to help her up. They each grabbed a hand and pulled her to her feet, where she continued coughing into her elbow. There were a few scrapes on her face from the landing, but other than that she seemed intact. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alive, aren't I?" Adriana choked out through her coughs.

"We need to keep moving," Johnny insisted, continuing the route towards the back of the house.

They didn't meet anymore death traps on their way to the kitchen, but the walls were burning rapidly, the floors not too far behind. As they rounded the corner into the kitchen, the three of them stopped, staring in dread at what lay before them.

The kitchen had to have been one of the first rooms in the house to start burning. Everything, from the walls to the floors to the appliances, was on fire. Sparks from electrical wires added more flames to the volatile mix. The back door, their only exit option, was the one thing that wasn't completely covered in flames. There was a small hole through which they might be able to escape with a few burns and bruises as souvenirs.

"We have to get through there!" Claudia yelled, the roar of the flames becoming louder and louder. Just as the words were out of her mouth, a section of ceiling on the other side of the kitchen fell out of its place and onto the floor, sparks and flames jumping at the fall.

"Christ, it's already at the second floor," said Claudia, looking upwards. "Well, at least Daddy wanted us to have a fast death."

"Claudia, we can't afford conversation right now!" Johnny shouted at her as another section of ceiling made its way to the burning kitchen floor. The second it made contact with the almost disintegrated tile, Adriana felt a pair of arms scoop her off her feet and, their owner running, carry her towards the door. She looked up to see Johnny's determined face as he jumped in the air through the burning back door, a loud crash sounding as they both landed on the grass, Johnny falling on top of Adriana. As she landed, Adriana heard a soft crack, and felt a sharp pain in her right wrist. Once Johnny quickly crawled off of her, she looked down at the source on the pain. Her wrist was purple and swelling, the bone visible through the skin. Tears formed in her eyes, but she didn't cry. She just swallowed the lump in her throat as she turned to Johnny, whose face was covered in minor burns, and said, "I think my wrist is broken."

Johnny looked down at her wrist and saw the damage as Adriana cradled it in her left arm, her fingers curled at odd angles. He felt a little guilty for landing on her, but a broken wrist was better than being burnt alive. Speaking of which… "Where's Claudia?" he asked frantically, turning around. The door to kitchen, along with the rest of the back of the house, was completely engulfed in flames, but there was no sight of Claudia.

"I thought she was right behind us," said Adriana slowly, trying not to gasp in pain and worry.

Johnny continued looking at the burning house. Claudia was still in there, and he was not going to let his sister die. Without another word to Adriana, he started to head back towards the burning kitchen door, preparing to jump through the flames again. Adriana saw what he was doing, and immediately felt even more scared.

"Johnny, you can't go in there!" she insisted. "You'll burn! I have my cell phone. I'll call the fire department and they can go in and save her."

Johnny shook his head. "I can't wait for them to come. Claudia needs me now. Still call the fire department, though. And make sure they send a couple ambulances."

"I can't lose both of you!" Adriana screamed, but it was no use. Johnny had taken a step back and then hurled himself through the remains of the kitchen door again, disappearing into the fire.

Adriana began breathing deep and fast. Both Johnny and Claudia were inside the burning house. What if Claudia was stuck somewhere? What if Johnny burned trying to get her out from under something heavy? Adriana would truly be alone; they were the last family she had left, except for her psycho grandfather and nut-job brother, both of whom had to be responsible for this disaster.

She could barely feel the pain in her wrist anymore. All she could feel was the loud and rapid beating of her heart as she shakily pulled her phone out of her pocket with her left hand, and did as Johnny asked, watching the kitchen door the whole time, and praying that her family came out alive.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter Eleven_

"Nine-one-one, what's your emergency?" asked the female dispatcher calmly after Adriana had awkwardly dialed the three numbers with her left hand, her right still hanging limp at her side.

After giving the address of her home, Adriana continued anxiously with, "The entire house is on fire and my mother and uncle are still inside. I don't know how hurt they are, but I know we'll need ambulances."

"I've contacted the fire department, and emergency rescue vehicles are on their way. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Yes, Adriana thought to herself. You could make sure that Claudia and Johnny come out of the house alive and breathing. You could hunt down Anthony and Ric and make sure they rot in prison for the rest of their lives. You can prevent me from becoming the victim of a mob war again. But she didn't say any of these things out loud, though she desperately wanted to. "No, thank you," she said quietly into the phone, flipping it closed with her chin as she continued staring at the house.

It felt like hours that those flames burned before her, and each second that ticked by was more nerve-wracking than the last. Adriana had no idea how far away they were from the nearest fire station, and didn't like to think about what would happen if they didn't make it in time. They had to make it in time. There was no other option. She knew that she wanted to make herself stronger, that she couldn't lean on Claudia and Johnny forever. But this wasn't about that. She loved both of them, and didn't want them to die like this, slowly and painfully, at the hands of her grandfather and brother.

But maybe they wouldn't. After what seemed like days of watching the house disintegrate before her, Adriana watched a shadowed figure approach through the flames, carrying something in its arms. The figure jumped through the flames, and Adriana sighed with relief at the sight of Johnny, a limp and lifeless Claudia resting in his arms. Johnny's face was covered in burns and soot, his jeans torn and singed. Other than that, he looked unharmed. He laid Claudia down on the grass, and Adriana gasped in horror as her mother rested at her feet. Claudia's eyes were closed, her face and arms covered in burns. Her left leg stuck out at an odd angle, and her face was pale. Too pale.

"Part of the ceiling fell on her when you and I jumped out," said Johnny, kneeling down next to her. "I think she got hit on the head and knocked unconscious. She was stuck pretty good. It's a miracle I got her out in time."

Adriana kneeled down next to her mother, laying her head on Claudia's chest, listening for the rhythm of her lungs at work. But none came. "She's not breathing!" Adriana shouted at Johnny.

Johnny scrambled over to where Adriana kneeled, listening for himself. He didn't hear anything either. "It's probably all that damn smoke," he said, his words tumbling out of his mouth with worry. "We gotta do CPR. We're gonna try to get her breathing at least a little before the ambulance gets here. You need to help me."

Adriana's mouth gaped wide. "I don't know how to do CPR!"

"You're gonna learn," said Johnny, moving placing his hands at the top of Claudia's ribs. "Now, you can't push because of your wrist, and you need both hands to do it. So I want you to do the breathing."

Adriana's stomach began twisting with nerves. She had never performed CPR in her life. She'd had it performed on her, just three days ago, but that didn't mean anything. What if she screwed up? What if Claudia died because Adriana wasn't competent enough to rescue her? "I don't—"

"Damn it, Adriana, just do it!" Johnny shouted at her.

Adriana was taken aback. Johnny had never shouted at her like that. But then again, they had never been in the middle of trying to save Claudia's life. Adriana took a deep breath. She had to do this. She'd learn quickly, and do it right. Claudia would be breathing in no time. "What do I do?"

"First, lift her chin up with one hand and hold her forehead with the other," Johnny instructed. "We have to open up her airway before we can start."

Adriana did as he told her, slowly lifting her mother's lifeless chin up with her injured hand, placing her other shaking hand on her forehead. Her broken wrist ached with shooting pains, but Adriana ignored it. Claudia's pain was of more concern than her own. "What next?"

"Keep the heel of your hand on her forehead, but pinch her nose with your fingers," Johnny explained. "Make sure you keep the chin lifted with your other hand. Then you start the breathing. Make sure your whole mouth covers hers, and give two normal-sized breaths. Her chest should rise with the breaths, and that's when I start the compressions. There's thirty for each two breaths, so wait until I'm done to do it again. Got it?"

Pinch the nose. Keep the chin lifted. Two regular-sized breaths. "Got it," Adriana answered, and without another word, took her left thumb and forefinger, clasped Claudia's nose, and bent down to administer the CPR. She tried to keep her breaths normal-sized, though her nerves wanted to make them a lot quicker. But she was determined to do exactly as Johnny instructed, and managed to make each exhalation last a second. After the two breaths, she shot back up, watching Johnny begin the compressions, counting to himself as he pressed down on Claudia's chest. After thirty had passed, he leaned his head down to listen for any signs of breathing. Despite their efforts, none came. "We have to do it again," he ordered.

Adriana didn't hesitate this time. Pinching Claudia's nose tight, she bent down and administered two more breaths. She came back up and watched Johnny perform the chest compressions again, lean down for another listen, and then come back up. "One more time."

Now Adriana was really nervous. How many times was considered normal to perform CPR before it was too late? Surely not this many? "Johnny, what if—"

"Again!" he yelled, and she didn't question him anymore. She pinched Claudia's nose again, did her part of the job, then watched as Johnny did his. He leaned his head down one more time, then came back up, a small smile on his face.

Adriana just looked at him. "Is she breathing?"

Johnny nodded. "Just barely, but there's nothing else we can do now. It's dangerous to do CPR on someone who's breathing, even just a little bit."

A wave a relief swept over Adriana. At least she was breathing. Hopefully it would be enough until the ambulances arrived.

Just as this thought passed through her head, Adriana heard the loud blaring of sirens as multiple emergency vehicles proceeded up the long and winding driveway of the Zacchara estate. Adriana's mouth formed a victorious smile. Not even a fire as crazy as this one could take them down. Anthony would have to try a lot harder.

But an unsettling feeling started forming in Adriana's stomach. In the same day, Anthony had tried to kidnap her and burn down the house, both to no avail. He was most definitely going to try harder.


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter Twelve_

"How's the wrist?" Johnny asked, walking into the exam room with a cup of coffee in his hand.

Adriana sat on the exam table, cradling her mending arm with her full-functioning one. The black cast stretched from her knuckles to her elbow, and the doctor said she would have to keep it on for at least six weeks. "Healing," she answered as Johnny walked up to her.

He took a look at the doctor's handiwork, saying, "Why'd you choose black? How's anyone supposed to sign it?"

Adriana rolled her eyes. "Getting my cast signed is the least of my concerns right now," she answered sharply. "How's Claudia?"

Johnny ignored his niece's snappy attitude as he filled her in on his sister's condition. "She's a mess, but she's gonna make it."

"What do you mean?" Adriana asked, confused.

Johnny smiled. "She's covered from head to toe in a bunch of minor injuries. Mostly, she's just in a lot of pain. None of the injuries are too serious."

"What are they?" asked Adriana.

Johnny looked towards the ceiling as he recited Claudia's ailments. "Minor concussion, minor smoke inhalation, two broken ribs, a fractured bone in her leg, and other various scrapes and burns."

Adriana gulped. "That doesn't sound pleasant."

"Nah, not really," said Johnny, shaking his head and still grinning. "But she's survived worse. It's a good thing we did the CPR, though. The doctor said that she might not have made it if we hadn't. Though he thinks that one of the broken ribs was because of me."

"You mean from the chest compressions?" Adriana questioned.

Johnny nodded. "Claudia's gonna give me hell when she wakes up. But I think she'd rather have a broken rib than be dead."

Adriana smiled, because Johnny's observation of his sister was completely accurate. "So she's asleep? Is she on drugs?"

"No," he answered, shaking his head. "She didn't need them. She passed out on her own. Very few people survive a fire like that. I'm sure she's exhausted."

That reminded Adriana of something. "What're we gonna do about that? I know Claudia's down, but we can't let Anthony get the best of us."

Johnny ignored her usage of the words "we" and "us," remembering Adriana's little speech right before the fire had started. While he, like Claudia, didn't want her involved in this, he thought it best not to engage in an argument about it. They didn't have much time for disagreement. Also, there was something else about her statement that he needed to correct. "I don't think Dad started the fire."

Adriana was confused. "What?"

"It doesn't add up," said Johnny, beginning to pace up and down the exam room. "Just look at the facts. One: his goal at the pier today was to try and kidnap you. Why would he change his tactics? He's unpredictable, yes, but he always follows through with a plan. Two: he loves that house. That's where he built his life and his empire. He would never want to burn it down. And three: I don't mean to sound selfish by saying this, but I was inside when the fire started. Dad wouldn't want me dead. That I'm sure of."

Johnny was right. It did make sense. Anthony had no motive for starting the fire. But if he didn't do it… "So who do you think it was?" Adriana asked.

Johnny shrugged. "I don't know. I have a couple theories, though."

"Like what?" asked Adriana.

"Maybe Ric and Dad aren't working together after all," Johnny suggested. "Ric could be conducting his own plan to take over the organization. Or it could be someone completely different who hasn't entered the equation yet."

Adriana considered the possibilities. They were both very likely. "So how do we figure it out? We don't have much time, and now there's two groups of people after us. Plus, Anthony will probably use this situation to his advantage."

Once again, Johnny ignored the words "we" and "us." "I'm gonna start working on that now. I'm gonna meet up with some of our guys, see what they know."

"I'm coming with you," said Adriana, hopping down off the exam table confidently.

Johnny laughed. "No, you're not. You're staying here with Claudia."

"But I want to help," Adriana insisted. "Me sitting here does nothing."

"It protects Claudia," Johnny shot back, just as insistent. "Dad tried something in a public place once today. I'm sure he'd do it again. And now with this other mystery person involved, we can't leave Claudia here by herself, especially in the condition that she's in."

Adriana folded her arms awkwardly, upset at being ordered around once again. But, maybe Johnny had a point. Claudia had just nearly escaped death today, and Adriana didn't want to mess with her mother's good fortune. "Fine. But call me if you find anything out?"

Well, he could at least give her that. "Sure," he said, nodding.

At that moment, a knock came from the doorway. Adriana and Johnny turned to see Mac and Lucky standing there, both looking very aggravated about the whole situation. Adriana sighed. Couldn't she go a couple years without seeing them? Or did everything just have to be a damn crisis?

"I'm sorry to interrupt," said Mac, "but I need to ask Adriana a few questions about tonight."

Johnny's eyebrows came together in confusion. "You already questioned me, and we were together the whole time. What do you need her statement for?"

"There's this little thing called the law, Johnny," Lucky snapped. "You might want to read up on it."

"It's just a couple questions," said Mac, stopping Lucky before he went any further. "It shouldn't take that long."

Johnny turned back to Adriana, rolling his eyes as he whispered, "Answer everything honestly. We don't have anything to hide. But don't mention what happened on the pier today."

Adriana nodded, understanding. A year ago, she would have questioned keeping that event from the police, or maybe even had insisted on telling the truth. But now, she understood that some things were better left unsaid.

"I'll call you later," said Johnny as he began to head out the door. "Claudia's room's on the tenth floor, number 1094."

"Thanks," Adriana called after him as he squeezed past Lucky and Mac, walking towards the elevator. He threw out his half-empty coffee cup in a nearby trash can, then walked back over to the elevators and pressed the down button, a pair of elevator doors to his left opening instantly. He stepped inside, pressed the button for the first floor, then leaning against the elevator walls as he descended. Once he reached the first floor, Johnny stepped out of the elevator and started heading towards the hospital's exit, only to be blocked by Ric, who was on his way in.

Great, Johnny thought. "What are you doing here, Ric?"

Ric smiled, taken aback. "I came to check on Claudia," he said. "I heard about the fire. I just wanted to make sure she was alright."

Johnny snorted. "Please. You probably just came to finish the job you started."

Ric cocked his head to the side, confused. "I didn't start that fire, and neither did your father, for that matter."

"Why should I believe you?" Johnny questioned.

"Because it's the truth," Ric insisted. "Now move. I want to see how Claudia's doing." He tried to walk around Johnny, but Johnny blocked his way, determined not to let Ric any closer to his sister.

"Can we please be adults here?" Ric asked. "I'm not going to hurt Claudia. I just want to see her."

"Over my dead body," Johnny whispered, his voice deathly quiet.

**11/4/09**

As Mac had promised, the questioning hadn't taken that long, and Adriana hadn't felt nervous about answering any of the questions. Like Johnny had said: they didn't have anything to hide. What had happened on the pier that day wouldn't have fit into the questioning at all, and Adriana hadn't felt uncomfortable about not bringing up. Besides, it wouldn't help any; while Anthony was still on the run, and needed to be caught as soon as possible, the fire was its own separate incident. Adriana was now fully convinced that there was someone else who wanted to take down the Zaccharas.

After the questioning was over, Adriana did as Johnny told her and began heading for Claudia's room. When she reached the elevator, she pressed the up button, waiting a couple seconds for the cab to arrive and take her up the necessary five floors. Once the elevator came, Adriana stepped inside. The doors began to close as she went to press the button for the tenth floor, but were opened again before she had the chance. Adriana looked up to see who had entered, and immediately froze in terror. Standing in the elevator, as the doors began to close again, was the man who had tried to take her from the pier earlier that day.

Before Adriana could press the button to reopen the elevator doors, the man shoved her against the wall with one hand that was covering her mouth, while the other reached to press the elevator's stop button, so that it wouldn't move until he wanted it to. After pressing the button, he looked dead into Adriana's eyes, smiling maliciously as he said, "Well, I guess we'll have to try this again."

**11/4/09**

Claudia woke with a start, confused by her surroundings. What was she doing in the hospital? A second ago, she had been running with Johnny and Adriana, trying to escape the burning house. How had she ended up here?

Claudia looked around, blinking sleep out of her eyes. Her room was dark and quiet, except for a single, steady beep from one of the machines next to her bed. The hallway outside didn't contain bustling hospital staff or visitors.

Claudia tried to focus and remember how she ended up here, but she couldn't. She had been running down the halls of the house with Johnny and Adriana, then she had blinked and appeared here. But it wasn't just her location that had changed. Instead of wearing the outfit she'd had on before, Claudia was dressed in a hospital nightgown. The heels on her feet had been removed, her left leg covered in some kind of heavy boot that stretched all the way up to her knee. There was some kind of compression on her ribs, and when Claudia felt to discover what it was, she recognized the texture of bandages. One of her fingers was attached to a long cord that snaked over to the beeping machine, and Claudia realized that it was recording her heart rate.

Think, Claudia told herself. What happened? As her brain began to slowly defog, she considered the possibilities. The most likely one was that something had happened to her in the fire, like she had gotten stuck or trapped under something. That must have been it, and if it was, she was lucky to be alive.

But wait. What about Johnny and Adriana? Had they made it out okay? She needed to find out. She reached for the call button that sat on the table next to her bed, in order to get a nurse and find out what had happened to the rest of her family. But before her fingers could close around the object, the sound of her door opening forced her to snap her head to the entrance of her room. Once she saw who had entered, she felt her heart stop beating for a good second.

Maybe she was seeing things. She had to be. This was absolutely impossible, what she was looking at right now. Or maybe it was a dream. Maybe she was still asleep. Maybe the fire had never happened, and Anthony hadn't escaped from jail, and Ric had never come back to town. Or, better yet, maybe she'd wake up to discover that she was back at Sonny's, happily married to him, knowing deep in her heart that Adriana was safe with her adoptive parents.

But as the figure approached her bed, one slow and menacing step after the other, she knew it had to be reality. No dream was this vivid. No hallucination could possibly be as detailed, showing every vengeful and venomous look in the man's eyes, every violent purpose with which he took a step. Only in the real world could that smile contain the perfect amount of victory, payback, and murder.

This was not a dream. It was a living nightmare, one that had been there all throughout Claudia's childhood, making a mess of everything she had held dear to her heart, destroying any chance she'd had at happiness.

It was definitely not a figment of her imagination, though she wished it was. No, it was real. Standing there, in the flesh, alive as the day is long, was Trevor.


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter Thirteen_

"Ric, I don't have time for this," Johnny insisted. "I don't think my dad started the fire, but I can't be sure it wasn't you, and whether it was or not, I need to find out, before whoever else is out there comes after my sister or Adriana again."

Ric looked down at the ground nervously. "You might be a little late," he said, looking back up slowly.

What the hell was he talking about? "Ric, if you know something, spit it out now, or I will beat the crap out of you until you talk," Johnny threatened, one hundred percent serious.

"In front of a bunch of witnesses?" Ric scoffed, gesturing to the people milling about the hospital's first floor lobby.

"My sister is now lying in freaking Room 1094 because of a fire that you might have started," said Johnny through gritted teeth. "So just try me."

Ric stared at him, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous Johnny was acting. But this was no time for laughter. He needed to say his piece now, before something else happened to Adriana. He wanted the chance to get to know his sister before Anthony did something awful to her. "Fine, you want the truth?"

"That would be nice," Johnny answered sarcastically. "Though I doubt it's possible for you to tell anything but lies."

"When it comes to my sister, I am one hundred percent honest," said Ric, completely serious.

Johnny just laughed. "Don't give me that crap. Your sister? You met her, what, a few days ago? And all of a sudden you have this brotherly love and devotion towards her? I know you, Ric. All you want is whatever my father is promising you for helping take over the business and kill Claudia. Adriana has been through enough hell. She doesn't need you adding to it."

Ric didn't exactly know what Johnny was talking about; he had yet to hear Adriana's full story. But he knew one thing: she was his sister, and he was not going to let her get hurt. "Was I working with Anthony in the beginning? Yes, I will admit that. But once I learned that Adriana was my sister, I decided I wasn't going to help him anymore. He doesn't know that, though, which is good. I can help you and Claudia by telling you his plans, and once this is all over, I can learn more about the sister that Claudia hid from me."

"I am not calling your bluff," said Johnny, disregarding everything that had just come out of Ric's mouth. "You want power, and you want money, and you don't care who gets in the way, even your sister."

"Johnny, do you want my help or not?" Ric shouted, causing a couple heads in the lobby to turn and stare at the confrontation.

Johnny noticed the staring, and, lowering his voice, said, "Just tell me what you know, then I'll decide if it's the truth. After that, maybe I'll consider letting you on our side."

Good enough, thought Ric. "Well, the reason I came in here wasn't to visit Claudia. It was to take her out of the hospital so she could make a deal with Anthony."

Johnny's eyebrows came together in confusion as he folded his arms and said, "What kind of deal?"

"Well, as we speak, Adriana is probably in a lot of trouble," Ric explained. Johnny's face went slack. "Remember that guy that tried to take her on the pier today?" Johnny nodded solemnly. "Well, your father decided to take advantage of the fire and send him here to take Adriana again while she was alone. My guess is that she's already gone."

Johnny just looked at Ric, speechless. No, this could not be happening again. Adriana, in one day, had already escaped a kidnapping and a vicious fire. In just a year she had lost her parents, been kidnapped and stabbed by Sonny, lied to by Kyle, gotten pregnant, and lost the baby. This was just too much for her to handle. She wasn't even eighteen yet, and she had seen more tragedy than most people had seen in a lifetime. And now, she was, according to Ric, being kidnapped again, by her grandfather, of all people. How could all these things still be happening?

"That's why I need to go to Claudia's room," Ric insisted. "She needs to sign over everything to Anthony before he does something awful to Adriana. Then you can all go free, move away from Port Charles."

As Ric began speaking again, Johnny returned to the present. "No," he said simply. "You're gonna take me to wherever my father and Adriana are, and I'm going to kill him with my bare hands. He put Claudia through hell her entire life, and I am not going to stand by and watch while he gets rewarded for doing the same thing to Adriana."

Ric shook his head. "Johnny, you don't understand. Anthony doesn't have anything to lose. He will stop at nothing to get his organization back. Let Claudia sign it over peacefully before any more blood is shed, especially hers or Adriana's."

"I told you it's not gonna happen!" Johnny shouted. "Adriana is worth more than some stupid business! My father doesn't deserve the organization. He deserves to die! He's deserved that since the first time he laid a hand on Claudia. I couldn't do anything about it then, but I can now. Take me to him and let me kill him!"

"Well, you're obviously not going to cooperate," Ric sighed. With these final words, and before Johnny could stop him, Ric bolted around his opponent towards the stairs, pushing the door open hard and beginning to sprint. He would have taken the elevator, but waiting for it would have taken too long, and Johnny would have been able to get in with him. Johnny stood still for a second, shocked by Ric's sudden movement, then ran after him up the stairs, determined not to let him get to his sister.

**11/4/09**

Adriana tried her hardest not to seem terrified by the giant man in the elevator, but it wasn't easy. She thought they had gotten the best of him and her grandfather today, but apparently they hadn't. How had he known she was at the hospital? How had he been able to time everything so perfect, to get into the elevator with her while she was alone? These questions circled her head, even though they didn't matter. He was here, and that was what mattered. And she didn't have Johnny to come and help her this time.

"Thought you'd gotten rid of me, huh?" the man asked with a smile. Adriana began to struggle, but he just laughed. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Remember this?" he asked slyly, pulling his pistol from a holster on his belt.

Adriana looked at it in fear for a second, then remembered something. With all her strength, she pulled the man's hand away from her mouth with both of hers, determined not to let her cast stop her, saying, as confidently as she could, "I'm not stupid. I know you can't kill me."

The man just smiled maliciously again, and, with all his strength, took the butt of the gun and slammed it into Adriana's ribs, knocking the wind right out of her. The second it made contact, Adriana double over, holding where he had hit her and trying to catch her breath. The man grabbed the back of her shirt and whispered menacingly into her ear, "No, but I can do that."

Adriana continued breathing unevenly, the pain in her ribs increasing every second. With death and tears in her eyes, she looked up at the man and choked out, "What—do you—want—from me?"

He continued grinning as he said, "I don't want anything. It's your grandfather that wants you." Adriana suppressed a gulp as he continued. "And you're gonna do exactly as I say."

"Which is?" she asked cockily, her breathing starting to become more regular.

"We're gonna go out into the lobby, and you are going to walk out the door with me like nothing is wrong. One false move, and I'll shoot someone. I don't care who it is. Then you're going to get into the back of the car without any trouble. Got it?"

Did it matter if she got it or not? Adriana's new attitude towards life may have been influencing her not to be as cautious as she usually was, but when it came to the welfare of others, especially innocent strangers, she was not playing games. She'd find her own escape once they were away from the hospital. She would not let her grandfather get the better of her.

Slowly and reluctantly, Adriana nodded, and the man smiled even broader, saying, "Good." With the hand that was holding the pistol, he reached towards the floor buttons and pressed the one for the lobby, the elevator immediately beginning to descend. As he put his gun back in his holster, he said rudely to Adriana, "Stand up straight. You don't want to look suspicious by bending over if someone gets in."

With all her strength, Adriana finally straightened up, leaning against the elevator wall as the man finally let go of her shirt. The elevator didn't stop for anyone else, and they finally made it to the lobby, stepping out of the elevator and heading for the exit. Adriana could feel the man's eyes on her as she put one shaky foot in front of the other, hoping for someone, anyone, to realize she was in trouble and help her get away. But she knew it wouldn't happen, and that she'd have to find her own way out of this mess.

Adriana and the man crossed the parking lot, passing very few people along the way. The man finally led her to an expensive-looking black car with tinted windows. He opened one of the back doors, and gestured mockingly for her to get inside. The second her entire body was situated on the black leather seat, he slammed the door behind her, the lock clicking as he did so. Adriana turned her head ever so slightly to see her grandfather, with a manic smile on his face, sitting across from her.

"Well, we have a long car ride ahead of us," he said as his man got into the driver's seat, starting the ignition of the car instantly. "Why don't we try and get to know each other?"

**11/4/09**

Claudia couldn't speak. She couldn't even move. Just the sight of Trevor, who was supposed to have been dead for a year now, paralyzed her. Her thoughts of finally being free of him and his wicked ways were wiped from her brain.

"Claudia," said Trevor, her name practically slithering off of his tongue. He had a mischievous smile on his face, one that made Claudia feel even more frightened, especially since she was lying in a hospital bed, helpless. "It's been far too long."

"Not long enough," she replied, surprised to have found her voice.

Trevor laughed, looking around the room with mild interest. "I'm sorry we had to meet again under such circumstances. It really hurt me to have to burn down your house. I always found it to be such a beautiful place. But desperate times call for desperate measures."

Claudia gaped. "That was you?"

He grinned again. "Did you appreciate my handiwork? This past year or so I've been learning a variety of different skills. Starting large and fast-spreading fires was one of the bigger ones."

The past year or so? The past year or so, Trevor was supposed to have been dead. "What are you doing here?" Claudia asked, her voice shaking. "That night, at the hospital, when you—"

"Ah, yes," said Trevor, making himself comfortable on the corner of Claudia's bed, eerily close to her legs. "That's actually quite a fascinating story. You see, when I fell off the top of this hospital—or, should I say, the old one, before it had completely burned down—I wasn't dead. I may have looked dead, but I have a lot of connections, a lot more than even your father knew about when we were in business together. The coroner at the PCPD owed me a favor, so he pronounced me dead, citing the cause as a broken spine from my fall on the roof. But, in reality, I had only suffered a few broken bones. The snow that night was so heavy and packed, that where I had landed broke my fall a little. Now, with the whole world thinking I was dead, I had all the time I needed to plan my takeover of the organization that rightfully belongs to me. All I needed was the perfect opportunity, which just came around a couple days ago."

Claudia sat perfectly still as Trevor told his story, only half-listening to what he was saying. The other half was trying not to panic as an unsettling though entered Claudia's brain: did Trevor know about Adriana?

"I hadn't really been following the events in Port Charles very closely," Trevor continued, ignorant of Claudia's worries. "I was far away on an island owned by a close friend of mine, recuperating from my injuries and hiding from anyone who might recognize me. I didn't have access to the internet or a television, and there wasn't a phone, because I didn't want the line to be traced to me. So, I had one of my associates come back and forth between Port Charles and let me know when a good time would be to make my attack. He told me about Sonny being on the run after a double murder he had committed, and with the Zacchara organization unprotected, then might have been a good time. But it was too early. I hadn't had a fully formed plan yet. And so I continued to wait, until it was reported to me that Anthony had escaped from prison, and I knew that he would also be going after the organization, and I decided that that was the perfect opportunity. Everyone in Port Charles would be focused on Anthony, and I could just slip by unnoticed. Once I had the organization in my hands, I would make my return public, claiming that the forged death certificate had been a mistake, and that I had nothing to do with it." He smiled victoriously as he asked, "So, was I right? Did you have any idea that I was back?"

Claudia shook her head slowly. He still hadn't made any mention of Adriana, which was a good thing. A very, very good thing. "But why burn my house down? What purpose would that have served?"

"Many," said Trevor. "You would have assumed that it was your father who had done it, and then gone after him even harder. Eliminating your father would have given me a clear path to the organization. Or, if you'd happened to die in the fire, it would have given me one less job to do later on."

Claudia shook her head, disgusted. "You haven't changed, Trevor, not one bit. You've been this way since I was seven years old."

Trevor just smiled, placing a hand on Claudia's thigh. Claudia felt a shiver go down her spine as memories of her childhood started to come back. She tried shaking them out of her mind as Trevor said, "I know. But it's gotten me pretty far, hasn't it? I am this close," with the hand that wasn't on her thigh, Trevor held his thumb and forefinger an inch apart to emphasize his point, "to finally controlling everything that I have worked for in my life."

"Well, you're never gonna get it," said Claudia coolly, trying her hardest not to let Trevor know that his hand on her thigh scared the crap out of her. "The second I get out of this bed I am going to hunt you down and kill you." Trevor laughed. "Don't think I'm not serious."

Trevor shook his head. "I know you're serious. You're not one to make empty threats, Claudia. There's just one problem with your plan." He stood up slowly from the bed, and Claudia was relieved that his hand was finally off of her. He walked over to the side of the room, where two chairs sat, one of them stacked with extra pillows and blankets. Trevor grabbed a pillow from the top of the pile, twisting two of the corners in his hands as he walked back over to Claudia, who looked up at him nervously.

"You see," he said. "I had been kind of hoping that the fire today would have killed you, but, unfortunately, it didn't. So I guess I have to do the job myself." He continued tightening his grip on the pillow's corners, his smile growing more and more murderous.

Before Claudia could reach for the call button next to her bed, a disturbance in the hall made its way into her room. Red-faced and sweating, Ric and Johnny ran through the door, stopping in their tracks as they realized who else was in the room.

"Dad," said Ric, completely in shock. Trevor had died over a year ago. How had he gotten here? It was completely impossible.

Before anyone else made another move, Trevor threw the pillow on the ground and wrapped an arm around Claudia's neck, just barely constricting her breathing passage. "Make one move, and I'll break her neck," he threatened, looking in between Johnny and Ric.

Johnny was in utter shock along with Ric. Trevor was dead. He couldn't possibly be here, threatening to kill Claudia. He looked into his sister's eyes, and saw a mixture of emotions swimming in them: anger, hate, fear. But most of all, he saw a question: where is Adriana?

At the thought of his niece, Johnny made what many would consider a rash and stupid decision. Before Trevor or anyone else could stop him, he took his right fist and let it collide as hard as possible with Trevor's face. The force of the punch knocked Trevor to the ground, his arm off of Claudia's neck. With an opportunity presenting itself, Johnny jumped on top of Trevor before he could get back up, continuing hit him anywhere he could, each punch making up for the years that Claudia had gone through with Trevor's abuse, the years that Johnny hadn't been able to do anything to stop it.

While the brawl continued on the floor next to Claudia's bed, Ric ran up to Claudia, unhooking her from the heart monitoring machine and pulling down the sheets, revealing a hospital gown and a walking boot on Claudia's left leg.

"What are you doing?" Claudia asked him, glancing at the fight that continued on the floor. Johnny knew what Trevor had done to her when they were kids, and, in his protective way, was finally getting his revenge for it. Trevor could barely fight back. His fists were swinging, but they weren't making contact.

"We need to get out of here," Ric explained hastily. "Your father has Adriana, and you need to hand over the organization to him before he does something awful."

Claudia's eyes instantly filled with fearful tears. After everything they had been through today, and Anthony had still gotten Adriana? Would it never end? "I can't run, Ric," she said. "I can barely walk."

"I got it covered," said Ric, and without another word, he put his arms under Claudia's back and knees and scooped her out of the bed, running towards the door as fast as he could.

Johnny watched his sister and Ric leave out of the corner of his eye while he continued pummeling Trevor, and immediately stood up to follow them. Even though Adriana seemed to be in trouble, Johnny didn't trust Ric farther than he could throw him. But before he could pursue him and Claudia out the door, he felt someone grab the collar of his shirt and pull him back into the room. It was Trevor, and he wasn't quite done with the fight.

Down the hall, Ric was still running with Claudia in his arms. He passed the elevators (once again, they would take too long) and pushed open the door to the stairs with his shoulder, running down each flight as smoothly as he could. As they began to descend, Claudia turned her head towards him, asking, "What is Daddy gonna do with Adriana?"

"He's taking her to one of the Zacchara safehouses," Ric explained through his heavy breathing as he continued to run. "He already had me draw up the papers for you to sign, ensuring that every property covered by the organization is given to him. He's not planning on you coming so soon, which is good. I know if he had Adriana for too long, bad things would start to happen. That's why I came to get you. I'm not on his side anymore, now that my sister is involved."

The tears in Claudia's eyes started to flow freely. "I can't let her get hurt, Ric," she choked out. "Not again. It needs to stop. I'll sign the papers. It might make things better in the long run. That way, things like this won't happen again."

Ric wanted to ask what she meant, but now wasn't the time. He needed to get her to the car safely, then they could talk. It would be a long ride to the safehouse—long enough for her to explain everything.

**11/4/09**

In Claudia's room, Trevor and Johnny continued to fight. Johnny was doing a better job; he was younger and more agile than Trevor, and felt like he had more to fight for. But Trevor was getting some punches and throws in as well. He and Johnny had gotten to the point in their battle where they were both holding onto each other and just kicking and shoving wherever they could. Finally, seizing an opportunity, Trevor grabbed a handful of Johnny's thick, dark hair and slammed his head into the wall with the force of a charging bull. The second his head hit the wall, Johnny was knocked unconscious, lying lifeless on the floor of the room.

Trevor smiled victoriously, then, stepping over Johnny, walked out of the room, making sure to stay on the lookout for everyone and anyone. He had come this far. He didn't want getting spotted to ruin everything. Instead of taking the elevator, Trevor began to hustle down the stairs, where it would be less likely for someone to show up and recognize him. As he continued going down, a plan began to form itself in his head.

Trevor had had quite a few people working with him, and one of them had infiltrated those of the Zaccharas who were still loyal to Anthony, pretending to be one of them in order to gain information. This had proved a good hunch of Trevor's, who had set the operation in motion long before Anthony had escaped from prison. Trevor's associate had informed him of the exact location of the safehouse in which Anthony was hiding, and Trevor was sure that was where Claudia and Ric were headed, in search of someone named Adriana. Trevor didn't know who Adriana was, but she must have been someone important to Claudia, for Anthony to use her as leverage. Everything seemed to be falling into place. Trevor could kill Anthony and Claudia in one go, and maybe this Adriana person, if she ended up being a loose end. He'd spare Ric, though. His son could be helpful to him in his takeover. Trevor couldn't help but smile. He had a gun in his car parked out front, just waiting to be used on trash like Claudia and Anthony. And Trevor couldn't believe that he would actually be the one to kill them both, just like he'd always hoped of doing.


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter Fourteen_

"Let me get a good look at you," said Anthony, staring at Adriana as the car moved along at a normal pace, probably to not attract attention. Adriana felt a little uncomfortable as her grandfather looked her up and down, taking in every feature of her face and body as he said, "This afternoon was a little crazy, and I didn't get to really see who you take after. But looking at you now, you are a spitting image of Dominica."

Adriana was surprised when she didn't hear hate and anger in her grandfather's voice as he spoke the name of his first wife. From what Claudia had said, Anthony had hated Dominica towards the end of her marriage because she had started speaking up against him, trying to earn her rightful place in his world. Knowing what she knew about her grandfather's personality, and how he had treated Claudia and her mother, Adriana thought that even to this day he would feel nothing but contempt for her. Apparently not.

"Well, I'm afraid you got your height from my side of the family," Anthony continued, the crazy grin never leaving his face. "My mother, your great-grandmother, was less than five feet tall. And my father wasn't a tall man either. But everything else about you—it's like looking at Dominica, like the very first day I met her. Dominica may have been a lot of things, but ugly certainly wasn't one of them."

Again, Adriana was shocked. Frightened, yes, but also shocked. "You have her hair. She used to wear it just like that, too. Long and wavy. I always remember that's what got me to notice her. Back in those days, girls wore their hair short, but not Dominica. She wore it long, sometimes with ribbons or flowers. And you have her face, too. That strong, prominent face." Adriana watched as Anthony's eyes met directly with hers. She didn't dare look away. "Ric said that your eyes were like his, and I guess they are, to a certain extent." What was he talking about? "They're the same shape and color as Trevor's, but they don't have that sneakiness in them that he had. No, they have that fire that Dominica always had in her eyes, even before she started getting ideas."

He seemed finished, but Adriana didn't say anything. What do you say to something like that? Thank you? He hadn't exactly called her ugly, but Adriana still didn't think that looking like his second-favorite wife was going to help in her survival of this ordeal.

Anthony continued looking at her, his eyes asking a million questions. "You're probably wondering why I've been trying so hard to have this conversation with you," he said. Adriana remained silent. "Well, you can blame your mother for that one. I had never wanted her in the position of power that she's in now, at least not since Johnny was born. My life's work was his legacy, not hers. Now that Corinthos is out of the picture, and Claudia is in charge, I'm determined to take the business away from her, correct the various mistakes she's bound to have made, and hand everything over to who it rightfully belongs to: my son."

It took every muscle in Adriana's body to restrain her from defending Claudia. She didn't think that would get her very far here, either. "So, you may still be wondering where you come into all this. Honestly, I'm taking a chance. I would never guess that Claudia had a maternal side to her, but then I never guessed she'd have children, either. Now that I know she does, it may very well be possible that she loves you, and wants you to stay safe. For all of our sakes, I hope that's the case. You see, once she recovers from the injuries caused by the fire, one that I did not start by the way," he added hastily, smiling a little broader, "I will send Ric, your brother, to let her know where you are and how she can get you back. It's simple, really: hand over the properties, and no one gets hurt."

Maybe this was all a big, messed-up blessing in disguise. Adriana knew that she wanted to go through the rest of her life as a tougher and stronger person, but she didn't need the family business to do that. The business was what had caused all this pain in the first place. Maybe, if Claudia was finally forced to give it up, they could go somewhere far away, and live a peaceful life. Adriana could go to college. Claudia could get a real job, maybe even find the time to start dating somebody. Everything could be perfect.

"But, there's always the possibility that I'm wrong," Anthony continued, oblivious to Adriana's thoughts. "I rarely am, but I'm human, and I make mistakes. Marrying Dominica and having Claudia was a big one." Again, Adriana forced herself not to respond. "Maybe Claudia doesn't have this maternal bond with you after all. Maybe she took you back after your 'extenuating circumstances' out of guilt, or pity. I don't know. I'm not her, thank God. I have someone who will monitor Claudia's progress at the hospital. When she's released, I'll know. I'll send Ric to her to let her know where you are, and it's up to her whether or not she'll come and save you. If she chooses not to, then my job becomes a little harder. First, I'll have to get rid of you. Unfortunately, I can't afford to spend that much quality time with my granddaughter." Adriana tried not to look scared. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you," Anthony said with a wheezy laugh. Never mind, Adriana thought to herself. "I could probably make some nice pocket change by selling you to one of those human traffickers, down in Mexico. Someone who looked like you would go for a good price."

Adriana didn't even try to hide her fear anymore. Sexual slavery? Was that what it would all come to, after everything she had gone through in her life? No, it wouldn't come to that. It couldn't. Claudia cared about her, she knew that for sure. Once she was all healed, she'd come and find her, and they could live the normal life that Adriana so wanted to have.

"Now," said Anthony, adjusting himself on the seat, "enlighten me of these 'extenuating circumstances' that brought you to Port Charles."

Great, thought Adriana. She had kind of planned on remaining silent the entire car ride, even for as long as Anthony held onto her. She didn't want to tell him about her parents' murders, or anything else that had happened to her since she had first arrived in Port Charles.

Anthony continued looking at her. "I have a very hard time believing that you're shy," he said with a smile. "We have a long car ride ahead of us. It would help to pass the time."

What the hell, thought Adriana. "I came here with my parents a little over a year ago. My dad was traveling for business. The night before we were supposed to leave, Sonny Corinthos killed my parents, and throughout the legalities of everything, I found out that Claudia was my mother, and she took me back in."

Anthony nodded as he put two and two together. "So that's the double murder that Sonny is on the run for." Adriana didn't say anything. "Well, I'm sorry that your parents were killed and you ended back up with my daughter. I doubt she's been a very good mother."

Adriana couldn't take it anymore, and she knew her grandfather's berating of Claudia would only get worse as the hours, or even days, wore on. "Claudia's actually doing a good job, given the circumstances. She's helped me through a lot. The only problems we've had were mostly my fault, not hers." Her voice was cold and serious, and took Anthony by surprise.

He laughed. "My daughter has been good for nothing her entire life. Until you came into the picture, I used to thank God that she'd never had children, because they would be pretty messed-up. I guess you survived that, having been raised by someone else. At least Claudia was smart enough to give you up to someone capable of handling a child."

That was it. "Claudia gave me up to protect me!" Adriana yelled. "She wanted to keep me safe from a life that you had thrown her into! And who are you to be judging someone for their parenting skills? You beat Claudia, then threw her out of the house because Trevor molested her! And you shot Johnny's mother by accident when you were really trying to kill Johnny!"

Anthony, for the first time throughout the car ride, was speechless. Adriana had been quiet for so long that this shouting had completely caught him off guard. But finally, after digesting Adriana's words, he found his own. "You seem like such a smart girl. I can't believe you let yourself be brainwashed by Claudia's lies, just like Dominica brainwashed her. I was a bad parent? Claudia was the one walking around, just begging for Trevor's attention. I see she told you a different story."

Adriana shook her head, completely disgusted. "You're a pig. You treat your daughter like garbage for no reason, except for maybe the fact that you didn't like her mother. It's repulsive, the way you talk about her."

"You think so?" Anthony retorted. "Well, if you had a daughter that walked around looking like a slut, making every mistake she could possibly make, would you be quick to praise her? No! You'd treat her like the whore she was born to be, and that's the end of it!"

"Claudia wasn't born to be a whore!" Adriana shouted, her anger having reached a boiling point. "She could have had a better chance at life if you had ignored Trevor's lies and listened to Dominica! You know, your wife? The woman who loved you? Trevor was a manipulative coward!"

Instead of shouting back, Anthony just smiled and said, "I've never heard anyone speak of their father with so much disrespect, not even Claudia."

Adriana was fuming. "Trevor wasn't my father," she spat. "My father's name was Thomas Brown. He was a good and honest person. He worked hard to have a nice life, and never took the easy way out or hid from the consequences of his actions. He loved his wife and his family. Trevor was a lying sleaze that preyed on Claudia and turned you into a monster. I'm glad he's dead, and I'm glad I never had the chance to meet him."

Anthony laughed. "You weren't even an idea when Trevor was around. You don't know anything about what happened. You are just basing your argument on Claudia's half-truths."

"Claudia doesn't have any reason to lie to me," said Adriana. "I know who she is and what she does for a living. I don't like it, but I accept it. And when Claudia told me all those things, about how I came into the world and what you and Trevor did to her, I could see the truth of it in her eyes."

"Claudia is a well-trained liar," Anthony insisted. "She got that from her mother, among other things. She knows exactly how to look, exactly how to say her words so that everyone feels pity for her."

"Then why doesn't everyone feel pity for her?" Adriana asked. Anthony didn't say anything, so she went on. "There are three sides to every story. When you walked in on Claudia and Trevor, you said that it had all been her doing. Claudia claimed it was all Trevor's fault. In the end, neither of you were right. Trevor went after Claudia, but Claudia was the one that offered to have sex with him. I know that, and I accept it. Why can't you?"

"Because I don't want to," said Anthony simply. "Claudia is a slut, and that's the end of it."

Adriana wanted to say more, but knew it was useless. Anthony was not going to listen to her, and why should he? He had hated Claudia for most of her life, and Adriana knew it was hard to put aside such strong feelings, no matter how much evidence was thrown at you. She had defended Claudia to the best of her ability, but Anthony wasn't going to budge. Claudia had not been exaggerating; Anthony really did hate her with all his heart.

As the car continued at it's inconspicuous pace, Adriana prayed that Claudia made a swift recovery for more than one reason. Of course, she wanted Claudia to get better, but she also didn't want to be trapped with Anthony for days, or even weeks, listening as he trashed his daughter up and down. But if Claudia did have a slow recovery, Adriana knew she had to think of some plan for escape. If someone wasn't going to rescue her, she was going to rescue herself.

**11/4/09**

"You okay?" Ric asked, glancing over at Claudia as his car proceeded down the highway, trying his best not to speed. If they got pulled over, it would only slow down everything, and time was of the essence. Also, Claudia hadn't exactly checked herself out of the hospital. From any point of view besides his own, this looked like a kidnapping.

Claudia winced as she adjusted herself in the passenger seat, still unable to get into a comfortable position. Her head throbbed from the stress of everything that had happened that day, and maybe a small concussion. The burns on her face and arm stung like hell. The boot on her left leg was heavy and awkward, and it felt like she had broken another tender rib while Ric had carried her out of the hospital. All in all, she was covered from head to toe in pain, and that pain was nothing compared to her anxiousness about Adriana.

"Given the circumstances, I'm just peachy," she spat, adjusting herself so that she was leaning against the car door.

"I'm sorry I had to get you out of there so quickly," Ric said, fully meaning his apology. "There just wasn't a lot of time."

"No, I understand," said Claudia, her voice laden with heavy breathing from all her painful moving around. "My father has Adriana. It's not exactly something I can sit and watch while it explodes in my face."

Something that had been on Ric's mind for awhile made its way to the surface. "Why were you so quick to trust me? I haven't exactly given you any reason to take my word."

It didn't take Claudia long to come up with an answer. "You may have been trying to bang the hell out of me a couple days ago," she started, "but when it comes to Adriana, I don't mess around." Then she added, somewhat quietly, "Not anymore."

That statement reminded Ric of his other questions. "We have a pretty long car ride here," he said. "Do you mind filling me in on everything about Adriana?"

Claudia considered for a second, then came to a conclusion. She did owe Ric an explanation, even if he was a scumbag. Or, at least used to be a scumbag. His status was a little shaky right now. But, if he was taking her to Adriana, Claudia didn't mind sharing some stories. "It's been a long year, I can tell you that much," she said coolly. "Actually, it's been a lot longer than a year. This has all been happening since I was seven years old, when your father showed up in my life."

Ric kept his eyes on the road as he said, "I know what my father did to you. Anthony told me."

Claudia snorted. "Then he probably told you I was lying about everything," she said, a single tear falling from her eye as her voice became choked. "But I wasn't. Trevor ignored me for the first few years he knew me, then he started to see me differently. A lot differently. We're talking a total one-eighty."

"He really did those things to you?" Ric asked, still not daring to look at Claudia.

She nodded. "He was a pig. Still is a pig, actually. God, I cannot believe he's still alive."

Ric laughed. "I don't know. Johnny probably finished him off at the hospital."

Claudia laughed as well. "God, I hope so." She looked down at her hands and said, "My father thinks I asked for Trevor to treat me that way, but he's wrong. What kind of sixteen-year-old girl wants someone her father's age to say things like he did, and touch me the way he did?" The horrific memories that were replaying in her head sent shivers down Claudia's spine. "I had to get rid of him. It was driving me crazy. I would wake up in the middle of the night, sweating and screaming from nightmares that were so real and vivid…sometimes I wouldn't even go to sleep. I'd sit up all night in case he decided to come into my room and take advantage of me. I even took one of Johnny's little league baseball bats and kept it under my bed for protection. And even with all of that, Daddy didn't believe me. He thought it was all cries for attention. My bitch of a stepmother didn't help things, either." Claudia's voice became sharp as she began talking about Maria. "God, she was in love with him. He probably had a couple rounds with her, too. She actually defended him to my father when I would tell him what happened. And he believed that home-wrecking whore over his own daughter."

Ric still remained silent. He was riveted by Claudia's story. He certainly hadn't been expecting something like this when he arrived back and town. He had always seen some kind of tension between Claudia and Trevor, and thought it had just stemmed from Trevor controlling Anthony all those years. Apparently, it was a lot more.

"I needed Trevor gone," Claudia continued. "The only way I could think of to get rid of him was to show my father what had been going on. I set the whole thing up—that part is true. I had Trevor meet me in my father's office and timed it so that my father would walk in at exactly the right moment. He did, but that was about the only part of my plan that went the way I wanted it to."

"That's why he sent you to Italy?" Ric questioned, remembering that Claudia had gone there when she was sixteen.

Claudia nodded. "He made up his mind about eight seconds after walking into the room. I left that night, and didn't know I was pregnant with Adriana until I got there."

"So, what happened to Adriana?" Ric asked, glancing at her. "Where has she been for the past few years?"

"I gave her up," said Claudia, looking out her window into the dark night, only seeing the headlights of other cars in the gloom. "I didn't want Trevor or my father to know about her, and I wanted to keep her safe from the life that had ruined mine. That part of my plan failed, too."

Ric cocked his head to the side questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"About a year ago, Adriana came to Port Charles with her parents. Her father was here on business. He and her mother were murdered by Sonny."

Something in Ric's head clicked. "That's the double murder he's on the run for?"

Claudia nodded. "Adriana discovered that I was her mother while all the legalities were going on. She agreed to stay with me again, which probably ended up being a bad idea."

Uh-oh, thought Ric. "Why?"

Claudia gave a sarcastic snort. "Well, since she's found out I'm her mother, she's been kidnapped and stabbed by Sonny and was completely and totally betrayed by her first true love, who was the son of an enemy of mine that got her pregnant and left her to deal with the baby on her own."

Whoa. "She's pregnant?"

"Not anymore," said Claudia simply, shaking her head. "She lost the baby a few months ago." They were both silent for a second, then Claudia said, "That's what I mean when I say she's been through so much. None of this was supposed to happen. She was supposed to be happy and safe." Tears started falling from her face. "My father wasn't even supposed to know about her, let alone get his filthy hands on her. I cannot lose her after all this, I can't! She's my daughter and I love her! It's not fair that she has to go through all of this because I was young and stupid and her father was a total snake! She doesn't deserve any of this!"

Ric let Claudia have a few minutes to catch her ragged breath before he said, as calmly as he could, "Don't worry. We'll get her back."


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter Fifteen_

Adriana cooperated completely as Anthony led her into the safehouse. It seemed to consist of maybe three rooms, at most. The room they were in now took up the bulk of the cabin-like house. It was quite spacious, with just a beat up couch, faded chair, rickety coffee table, and small chest of drawers in the corner to serve as furniture. The windows were boarded up, and the fireplace didn't look ready to throw off heat any time soon. The heavy wood door closed behind them, Anthony's guard remaining out front, presumably to keep watch for any unexpected visitors.

"Sit down," Anthony said in as polite a voice as he could muster up.

Adriana obeyed, sitting in the faded armchair slowly. She didn't know enough about her surroundings to make an escape right now. She'd sit here and start to formulate a plan. Anthony wouldn't be any the wiser, until it was too late for him to catch her.

Anthony took a seat on the couch opposite her, procuring a gun from a holster on the back of his belt, and holding it casually in his lap. Adriana saw the gun but did not react to it; it was best if she stayed completely emotionless. That way Anthony wouldn't be able to guess what she was thinking.

"I'm not sure how long it will take Claudia to recover," he said, staring directly at Adriana, who was only partially paying attention to what he was saying. "From what I can remember, she was always a quick healer, even as a child. A scraped knee would go away in a few days. Even those bruises would disappear before anyone got suspicious."

Adriana heard the word "bruises" and knew exactly what he was talking about, but restrained herself from commenting. Engaging in confrontation was not what she needed to do right now. She just needed to think.

"I'm sure she'll be back on her feet in no time," said Anthony, only half happy about it. While he wanted Claudia to sign everything over to him right away, he wouldn't mind it if she suffered for a couple of days. "Then she can come and get you, sign over everything to me, and we can all go on our merry way. That is," he added slyly, "if she comes at all."

Don't comment, Adriana told herself. You know Claudia wouldn't leave you. That's all that matters. Anthony's just trying to get a rise out of you. Besides, you'll have escaped on your own by the time Claudia recovers.

Anthony laughed to himself. "It would actually surprise me greatly if Claudia showed up to save you," he mused. "I mean, she's not exactly maternal. Sure, she was very protective of Johnny, but that was some kind of sick obsession. I really can't picture her jumping in to protect a child, even her own."

Again, Adriana remained quiet, even though it killed her to do so. She actually bit the inside of her lip so that she wouldn't be tempted to open her mouth.

"I mean, look what kind of situation she put you in," said Anthony. Adriana looked up at him. "If she was this fantastic parent that you claim she is, I wouldn't have been able to get to you. She would have made sure you were protected, even when she couldn't do it herself. Claudia doesn't deserve to call herself a mother. She is a failure. She's been one her whole life. She will never amount to anything."

Adriana was biting her lip so hard that it stung, bringing tears to her eyes that she tried to blink away. Sonny had done this to her, too. He had sat there and told her how awful a person Claudia was. She couldn't take it. She couldn't take people berating Claudia for having one of the worst childhoods ever. For being hated by her father. For being assaulted by Trevor. Everything was always her fault, and Adriana was sick of it. After hating Claudia for months herself, she knew how both sides felt, and knew that the side filled with hate was wrong. Claudia was not a bad person. Why did everyone think she was? Why couldn't everyone just leave her alone?

"Even when Claudia does things with the best intentions," Anthony continued, "she still fails. She gave you up to protect you, but you ended up back with her anyway."

Adriana had to say something. She couldn't think with Anthony's taunting surrounding her. "It's not her fault my parents died," she said through gritted teeth.

"Maybe not," Anthony admitted, "but maybe she didn't pick the right parents for you. I mean, what kind of people get themselves killed by the likes of Sonny Corinthos?"

Now he was talking crap about her parents. She could not sit by idly and let him do that. "My parents didn't ask to die. Sonny is just a monster."

"Sonny is a smart man," Anthony countered. "Sometimes he lets his emotions get the best of him, but didn't get to be king of Port Charles by sheer luck. He kills strategically. Maybe your parents deserved what they got."

That was it. "My parents were innocent!" Adriana screamed, standing up as tears fell down her face. "Sonny had no reason to kill them! He is a tyrant and a criminal! They didn't deserve to be killed, especially not by him!"

"You don't know that," said Anthony, raising his voice the slightest amount. "They must have done something to deserve to die. God works in mysterious ways."

"Shut up!" Adriana yelled. "Shut up! You don't know anything! You didn't know my parents! God, now I know why Claudia hates you! You're worse than a monster! You are the devil himself!"

"Don't be so naïve," Anthony warned, pointing a threatening finger at Adriana. "You can't honestly stand there and say that you knew every detail about your parents. Were they always completely honest with you? Did they ever bother to tell you that you were adopted?"

He had a point, but Adriana wouldn't admit it. She wanted to continue screaming and crying, like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum. She had never been this angry, scared, or frustrated in her life. She folded her arms and walked over to a corner of the room, leaning against the wall.

Anthony smiled at her defeat. "They didn't, did they?" His grin grew wider. "Your parents kept the biggest secret of your life from you, and you don't question anything else about them? You don't wonder what kind of life they could have been leading, while you stood by obliviously?"

"Stop," she choked through her tears, looking down at the floor. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"People who keep secrets are not trustworthy," Anthony insisted, standing up and walking slowly towards Adriana, gun still in hand. "And they usually don't keep just one secret. No, they keep many. Sonny killed your parents for a reason."

"What makes you think you're better than them?" Adriana asked in a choked whisper. "How does beating Claudia and ignoring her cries for help make you Dad of the Year?"

"I never lied to my children," Anthony said, somewhat proudly. "I told Claudia constantly that she was a slut and a whore. It was harsh, but it was the truth. I didn't keep anything from her. She didn't deserve a lot, but she deserved the right to know who and what she was. Apparently your parents didn't have the same respect for you."

Adriana scoffed. "Respect? How is calling your daughter a slut respect? How can you justify that, just like you're justifying my parents' murders? You are as sick and twisted as Claudia said."

Her last comment wiped Anthony's smile clean off his face, but before he could say anything, a noise from outside came through the walls of the safehouse, a noise that both Adriana and Anthony knew very well: a gunshot.

Adriana didn't know whether to rejoice or cower in fear; she knew Claudia was stuck up in bed, but maybe Johnny had come to save her. But what if it wasn't someone on her side who had fired the shot? What if Anthony's guard had fired, and, worse, hit his target?

The second the gunshot sounded, Anthony took hold of Adriana's upper arm with a surprisingly strong grip for such an old and feeble-looking man. The gun in his other hand was no longer hanging casually at his side, but was instead at the ready for whatever intruders had discovered his hiding spot.

Adriana didn't resist her grandfather's hold on her as a few seconds went by where there was no noise at all. Suddenly, after the moments passed, the front door to the safehouse was flung open, revealing a disheveled Ric and a worse-for-wear Claudia. Ric's dark hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, a gun similar to Anthony's hanging from his right hand. His left arm was wrapped around Claudia, supporting her as she limped into the safehouse, every other step she took landing with a loud clunk. Ric slammed the door behind him as Adriana looked down to see a heavy walking boot on Claudia's left leg, the top part of it covered by a flimsy hospital gown, her long hair just as messy as Ric's and her breathing heavy. Adriana could not have been more thrilled to see her mother awake and well, but she didn't understand what she was doing here so soon, with Ric, nonetheless.

Adriana glanced over at Anthony, who hid his surprise at his daughter's arrival as he said, "Ric, I'm glad you understand the importance of the situation, but we could have waited a couple days for Claudia to heal. I was actually somewhat looking forward to bonding with my granddaughter." At this comment, Adriana flashed him the dirtiest look she had ever given anybody. "And did you really have to kill my guard?"

"Anthony, I'm not stupid," said Ric, holding onto Claudia tighter. "I know that you would have tortured Adriana until Claudia showed up. I couldn't let you do that to my sister, especially now that I know everything that she's been through."

"Yeah, all of which was Claudia's fault," Anthony retorted.

Claudia snapped her head up, her dark eyes burning with hatred. "You bastard," she sneered. "You're the one who put me through hell my entire life."

"You asked for it!" Anthony shouted. "You were a slut and a nuisance, just like your mother! I only ever treated you in ways that you deserved!"

"I didn't deserve any of it!" Claudia shrieked pushing Ric off of her, determined to stand her own ground and show her father that he couldn't bring her down. Not anymore. "I deserved to be loved by my father, just like anyone else! I deserved to be treated with respect, but instead I was abused by you and Trevor! You didn't believe me! You never believed me! Do you believe me now, Daddy?" She gestured towards Adriana. "Did you think I wanted to get pregnant at sixteen, by Trevor, of all people? Did you think I wanted to give my daughter up because if I didn't, she could have been killed, maybe by you? Did you really think I'd put myself through all that hell, just for some of your goddamn attention?"

"It's called narcissism, Claudia," said Anthony, a little calmer now. "You would do anything and everything to make the world revolve around you. And because of your narcissistic actions, your daughter has been suffering."

Claudia locked eyes with Adriana, and her daughter could see a complete and sincere apology swimming in them. She tried to assure Claudia with her own eyes that an apology wasn't necessary; none of this had been Claudia's fault. And it hurt Adriana so much to see Claudia be treated like this, by her own father. Just from the vibe in the room, Adriana could tell that it was reminiscent of Claudia's childhood, and that only made the apology seem that much more unnecessary.

After a second of silence, Claudia said, through gritted teeth, "I'll sign over everything. Adriana and I will leave Port Charles, no questions asked. You'll never have to see my face again."

Anthony smiled broadly. "Good," he said. "It would have been a real shame to have sold your daughter." Adriana shivered the littlest bit, mostly because when Anthony uttered this sentence, he hadn't relinquished his grip on her. "She's beautiful and very smart. A little naïve, but nothing some world experience won't change. I'm also glad it didn't come down to me killing her in front of you. It would have been a very slow and painful process for everyone in this room."

Claudia gulped, trying to restrain her imagination from running wild. "Just let her go."

"After the papers are signed," said Anthony defiantly.

Ric immediately went to the small chest of drawers on the side of the room, opened the top drawer, and pulled out a large stack of paper and a pen, handing both to Claudia. "Sign quickly, so we can get outta here," he whispered, barely moving his mouth so that Anthony wouldn't become suspect to his treason.

Claudia glossed over the first page, then reluctantly placed the pen at the bottom, considering what she was about to do. While she'd pay any price to have her daughter back, she couldn't help but feel defeated. She had worked so hard for the past couple years to keep the organization at the top, and now her father would receive the benefits of her hard work. He didn't deserve to be rewarded for his behavior, but what else could she do? It was the only way to make sure Adriana came home safely.

Anthony noticed Claudia's hesitation. "Second thoughts?" he asked slyly, before taking the gun in his hand and pummeling Adriana in the ribs, even harder than the soldier had done just a few hours before. Adriana cried out in pain and fell to the ground at her grandfather's feet, cradling her stomach and trying to suppress her tears.

Claudia watched the scene with horror, wanting to scream at her father and strangle him with her bare hands. But she knew she had to sign. Threats and violence would only make things worse for Adriana. She looked back at the paper, and before she could even complete the C in her first name, the door to the safehouse banged open again, revealing yet another unwelcome trespasser.

The second Trevor's entire body was in the room, total chaos ensued. Without a word, Trevor held up his gun and aimed right for Claudia. Before Claudia could dodge out of the way, she felt herself being pushed to the ground by Ric as the sound of the shot echoed across the room. Anthony's head snapped towards Trevor just as the lawyer turned the gun on his former employer, shooting him right between the eyes and sending him collapsing to the floor. Adriana had looked up from her own spot on the ground, and as she saw this mysterious stranger turn his gun towards Claudia again, she reached for the gun in Anthony's limp hand, pointed it towards the intruder, closed her eyes, and shot.

The sound of a body hitting the floor told Adriana what had happened, but she didn't dare open her eyes. Her breathing was fast as she began to fully comprehend what she had just done. It had been something that she had vowed to herself that she would never do, no matter what happened. She wouldn't do it in self defense, or for payback, or even to protect someone she loved. She wasn't supposed to do that kind of thing. Evil people, like Sonny and Anthony, did that kind of thing. She didn't. She was a good person. Good people didn't do that. She didn't do that.

As she finally opened her eyes, she made it a point not to look at the body near the door, and instead focused on Claudia. Her mother was pushing Ric's body off of her, her hospital nightgown soaked in Ric's blood. Adriana looked at Ric. There was a bullet wound right through his lung, and it was bleeding profusely. She looked behind her at her grandfather, and didn't even mind the gruesome scene of his brain spilling out onto the floor, as long as she didn't have to look in the other direction, the direction where a stranger lay unconscious, maybe even…no, she couldn't think the word to herself.

After pushing Ric off of her, and giving him a quick glance, Claudia knew he was dead. Anthony's head had pretty much exploded, and there was blood everywhere around him. She looked over at the door. Trevor was also lying in a pool of his own blood. There was no hope for him, either.

Finally, Claudia forced herself to look at Adriana, who was looking at Anthony, a gun still hanging in her hand. She was covered head to toe in blood, from her dark hair to her flip-flopped feet. The hand with the gun in it was shaking, and Claudia could hear her daughter's breathing, even from across the room.

"Adriana," she finally managed to choke out, tears flowing from her face.

Adriana's head snapped in her mother's direction at the sound of her name, but she didn't say a word. She looked down at the gun in her hand, then placed it on the floor, looking at it disgustedly. Her eyes met Claudia's again, and Claudia had never seen so much pain in them before. Not after her parents had died, not after she had lost the baby…never. Claudia understood why. Adriana was not a killer. At least, she hadn't been a few minutes ago. But now, she was.

Claudia began to crawl over to her daughter, ignoring the searing pain in her ribs. Adriana just sat there, with her arms wrapped around her legs, staring at her mother without blinking. When Claudia reached her, she put her arms around her, and Adriana didn't resist. In fact, the second Claudia touched her, she just sobbed uncontrollably, not thinking she'd ever be able to stop.

Claudia held her daughter close and looked over at the door again. Adriana had killed someone. But not just any someone. No, she had killed her own father.

And the worst part? She had no idea.


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter Sixteen_

"I'm coming, I'm coming," said Claudia, limping as fast as she could towards the front door of the penthouse, her boot clunking the whole way. She couldn't wait to get this damn thing off. It was a pain to walk in, attracted plenty of unwanted attention, and restricted her from wearing the six-inch heels that she loved so much. Claudia had been walking around with a sneaker on her right foot for over a month now. It was really starting to get irritating.

Claudia opened the door and smiled as she saw Johnny's tan face behind it. She hadn't seen her brother in two whole weeks. After recovering from the concussion that Trevor had given him during their fight at the hospital, Johnny had decided to take a nice little vacation with Olivia to Hawaii. Despite whatever personal feelings Claudia had for Olivia, this hadn't bothered her at all. Johnny deserved a vacation. In fact, she did, too. But she had more pressing matters at home to take care of. A week of rest and relaxation would have to wait.

"You're back!" she said, smiling broadly and throwing her arms around her baby brother. He smelled like a combination of airports and pineapples. Obviously, he hadn't bothered to shower before coming over.

Johnny reciprocated the hug briefly, then pulled away, a small smile on his face. "Yeah, we had a great time."

"Well, come in," said Claudia, moving away from the door to let her brother inside the apartment. He looked all around the spacious living room as Claudia closed the door, waiting anxiously for his opinion.

"It's nice," he said, setting down a small gift bag that he had brought with him on the glass coffee table. "I'm surprised you got it so soon."

Claudia moved further into the living room, sitting herself down on the black leather couch. "Well, it's not like we could have lived in the Metro-Court forever. I don't need Carly and Jax on my case more than they already are." She gave the room a quick sweep with her eyes. "I mean, I like it. It's more practical, anyway. The house was all the way on the outskirts of town. This building is right in the middle. It's close to Adriana's school, and I'm closer to all our properties. Though I will have to pull a Sonny and Jason and set up shop behind a front. While I won't miss that house, I will miss having a home office. At least one that's somewhat removed from the rest of the house."

Johnny sat down on the couch next to her, his face very serious. "You're still gonna keep the business going? Even after…" He trailed off. Claudia knew what he was talking about.

Claudia looked down at her hands, nodding slowly. "Johnny, I don't have a college degree. I didn't even finish high school. Also, I happen to be linked with about half the crimes committed in Port Charles. I'm not gonna be anyone's first choice for a new employee. And I can't just sit around and do nothing all day. I mean, sure, we have money. But I have to put Adriana through college, and that's not cheap. It's better to have a constant income, especially on a rainy day. I know it's not the best choice, but it's the only one I have."

Johnny, while he didn't like the choice, understood it completely. He and Claudia had been raised to know this life, and only this life. It was too late for either of them to give it up now, even if they tried. No matter what happened, they couldn't get out. It was a maze with no exit.

Instead of expressing any of this to Claudia, Johnny reached towards the coffee table, grabbing the gift bag off of it. "I got Adriana her birthday present," he said. "Olivia and I found these shops with some handmade jewelry. I can't take credit for it, though. Olivia picked it all out." Johnny was expecting Claudia to be mad that Olivia had picked out Adriana's eighteenth birthday present. Or he had even kind of expected her to laugh a little at her brother's incompetence when it came to shopping and other girly things. But she didn't say anything. She continued looking down at her lap, seeming to be deep in thought.

"What is it?" Johnny asked, though he knew it was a stupid question. There was only one thing it could be, one thing that Johnny had hoped would change by the time he got back from his trip. But, by the look on Claudia's face, everything was the same.

Finally, Claudia looked up and spoke, her voice hoarse. "Today is my daughter's eighteenth birthday, and there's absolutely nothing I can do to make her happy." A single tear rolled down her cheek. "She hasn't talked in over a month, John. Not a word. And it's not just to me. Kristina said that when they hang out, she doesn't say anything either. What if she stays this way forever, Johnny? What if I can't bring her out of this?" Johnny didn't say anything, just put the present back down on the coffee table and wrapped his arm around his sister. "And then one day, she comes home with her half her hair chopped off and dyed black. Then I see her emptying out her closet to make room for all these new clothes that she bought, clothes that are nothing like her. And when I ask her what's going on, she doesn't answer me. She just looks at me, with those sad eyes with all that crap around them, like I'm supposed to know. But I don't know, John! I have no idea!"

"Shh," Johnny soothed, trying to restrain his sister from raising her voice anymore. "You'll figure it out."

"I told you this would happen, Johnny," said Claudia, pushing his arm away and standing up slowly. "I just knew she would turn into me. I mean, just look at how similar our lives are. We both lost both of our parents. Granted, in different ways, but we lost them nonetheless. We've been surrounded by violence. We've both gotten pregnant as teenagers. We've both gotten our hearts broken. And now, we're both killers!"

"Hey," said Johnny, standing up suddenly. "You are not a killer, and neither is Adriana. She killed Trev—"

Now it was Claudia's turn to shush. "Shh!" She glanced towards the stairs in the corner, vaguely of aware of Adriana being able to hear everything that was said. "We need to keep our voices down," she whispered.

It took Johnny a second to realize what he had said to ignite Claudia's concern, but he finally figured it out. When he did, his eyes grew wide as he accused, "Claudia, have you still not told her?"

Claudia didn't hesitate to answer. She wasn't ashamed of her decision. "No, and I'm not going to. You and I are going to take this secret to our graves. No one else is ever going to find out. Not Adriana, and certainly not the police."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Claudia, I think she deserves to know that she killed her own father."

Claudia glanced nervously at the stairs again before saying, "She doesn't deserve any of this. She shouldn't have been put in a position to kill Trevor in the first place. And I am not going to let her take the fall for this."

Johnny still wasn't letting up. "Claudia, you have to tell her."

"No, I don't!" Claudia insisted, still keeping her voice down. "I did not go through all of that covering up just to tell her now, on her birthday of all days!"

Johnny paused for a moment, then said, "That's why you covered it up?"

Claudia shrugged. "Well, of course I didn't want her to get charged for it. I mean, my God, she saved my life. And I know it would get written off as self-defense, but through everything, she'd still find out it was Trevor, and I couldn't let that happen."

"But why?" pressed Johnny. "Why can't she know it was Trevor? Why does it matter? She still killed someone."

Claudia sighed, folding her arms. "You don't see the world the way she does, John. To her, she was an accident, a mistake in the universal plan. And, in all honesty, she was. I never intended to get pregnant with her, and she knows it. She treats every day like a gift from God, because if I hadn't been so stupid, she would never have existed. But it wasn't just me that contributed to that mess. It was Trevor, too. And if she knew that she had killed her father, she would be in even worse shape than she is now, if that's possible. She'd never get over it."

"So, you're not gonna tell her?" Johnny asked, wanting to be one hundred percent clear on the plan.

"No," said Claudia, her voice insisting finality. "It's not worth it. As far as anyone knows, Trevor died a year ago. I told Adriana that he was just someone else who was after our organization, then I buried him behind the safehouse. She probably thinks it was to protect her, and she's right. It is. I told the cops that Daddy and Ric shot each other. Case closed."

Johnny knew, after that spiel, that Claudia had made up her mind and would not change it, come hell or high water. She was determined to protect Adriana from the awful truth, and Johnny wasn't going to mess with that. Adriana was Claudia's daughter; if Claudia wanted to keep something like this from her, then he had no right to intervene. He didn't agree with his sister, but he'd respect her decision as a mother. Maybe, if he ever had kids, he'd understand where her reasoning was coming from.

Claudia looked towards the stairs again, her eyes full of sadness. "I just wish she'd talk again. Isn't there anything that can make her happy?"

"I don't know," said Johnny, shrugging and putting his hands in his pockets. "I'm sure she'll come around eventually. Just give her more time."

His sister nodded, then suddenly remembered something. "You know, I was silent for awhile, too?"

Johnny looked at her, taken aback. "Really?"

Claudia nodded. "Yeah. I barely remember it; I was so little. It was right after Daddy had kicked my mom out of the house. The pure shock of losing her, and having Maria shoved down my throat within the same day, was enough to make me stop talking for almost a year."

"What made you talk again?" Johnny asked, cocking his head to the side curiously.

Claudia looked down at her feet and smiled. "When you were born."

He laughed. "Are you serious?"

"Completely," said Claudia, looking back up and laughing along with him. "I guess I just realized…I had a responsibility now, you know? When I didn't talk, I was being selfish. But I had to start again. For you." She thought she could almost see Johnny blushing, but he wasn't one to do that sort of thing frequently. At least, not without trying to hide it first.

The situation became serious again as Johnny said, "Well, maybe Adriana needs some type of responsibility. Not something for her, like school or whatever. She needs to be responsible for someone else."

"Well, it's not like I'm gonna be popping out a baby anytime soon," said Claudia with a small chuckle.

Johnny shook his head, suddenly enlightened. "No, you don't have to. I have an idea."

**11/4/09**

Adriana didn't really mind her new room. In fact, she kind of liked it more than the old one. That other house was too quiet. This apartment was right in the middle of Port Charles. There was plenty of hustle and bustle all hours of the day and night, and the various noises outside provided Adriana with a lot of distractions, which she desperately needed.

Being around people was difficult. Claudia was the worst; she had seen everything, and knew why Adriana was silent, and tried so hard to push her daughter past it. But Adriana didn't want to move past it. To move past something, you had to confront it, and she wasn't ready to do that. She didn't think she'd ever be.

Her time with Kristina was little, mostly because it was so awkward. Kristina didn't know everything that had happened; she, like the rest of the world, besides Claudia and Johnny, thought that Adriana had been kidnapped by Anthony, and that he and Ric had just shot each other, end of story. She didn't really know why Adriana wouldn't open her mouth, so she couldn't be much help. And besides, it was awkward having a one-sided conversation. Adriana could just tell from Kristina's body language that she didn't like talking to a brick wall, so she tried to avoid such situations as much as possible.

Actually, for a good part of the past month or so, Adriana had found solace in books. Adriana had read a lot as a child, and when she had traveled with her parents, it had made those long plane rides a lot shorter. Once she had started living with Claudia, however, there just hadn't been time for her to sit back, relax, and just read. But now, there was time, and Adriana was enjoying every second. Books were the perfect distraction; they took place in another world where that night didn't exist, and Adriana didn't have to talk.

But today, a book couldn't distract her. Adriana might have been mute, but she was not oblivious to her surroundings. Today was her eighteenth birthday. Today, she was an adult. Today was supposed to have been a great day, one of the best of her life. But she could not force herself to be even the slightest bit happy. She just couldn't find it in her. When she had come downstairs for breakfast that morning, Claudia had wished her a happy birthday with a big, cheesy grin on her face, and had even made a humongous breakfast. Adriana ate, but did not thank Claudia, or even crack a smile. She wasn't in the mood for celebration. She really didn't deserve it.

A knock on the door brought Adriana out of her thoughts, which she was thankful for. If she sat by herself for too long, her thoughts started to wander dangerously. Adriana hopped off the bed with great ease for someone who insisted on wearing black skinny jeans in the middle of summer. She walked to the door slowly, opening it to see her uncle standing in the hall.

"Happy birthday," he said, handing her a gift bag with one hand while his other arm encircled her in a hug. After he pulled away, he gave her a good look up and down. Claudia hadn't been kidding. If Johnny had passed Adriana randomly on the street, he wouldn't have known to say hello. Her hair had been cut to a length slightly above her shoulders, side bangs halfway covering her left eye. Each hair was pin-straight and black as night. Her eyes were covered in dark eyeliner, mascara, and shadow. Despite the fact that it was the end of July, she was wearing black skinny jeans, a black tank-top, and bright red Converse high-tops. She still had the black cast on her right wrist, not one attempted signature on it. Part of her hair had been pushed back to reveal a pierced cartilage, and Johnny found it strange that Claudia hadn't mentioned that during her rant. The only thing about her that hadn't changed was the fact that she still wore her mother's engagement ring around her neck, but the chain was much shorter now, almost like a choker.

Trying not to stare too much, Johnny shook his head to focus. Adriana was about to root through the bag he had given her, but her stopped her, saying, "Don't open that yet. I want you to see your other present first."

Adriana didn't say anything, just placed the bag down on her dresser and cocked her head to the side as awkward footsteps sounded in the hall. The second she realized it was Claudia, Adriana placed her hair over her pierced ear. Johnny saw the subtle movement, but said nothing. All he could thing was, if Adriana was hiding that piercing, how many others could she have? Or, worse: what if she was hiding tattoos, too?

As Claudia's footsteps came closer, Johnny pushed these negative thoughts from his mind. He needed to muster up all the positive energy that he could. The next few months depended on it.

Finally, Claudia rounded to corner of the hall, and when Adriana saw what she held in her arms, the first real smile that she had had in months made its way to the surface. In her arms, Claudia was holding a squirming golden retriever puppy.

The puppy was no more than six weeks old, his big brown eyes looking into Adriana's excitedly, his yellow fur just starting to attain that fluffiness that goldens have. Around his neck was a big red bow, and he looked very happy to be where he was.

Without even the slightest moment of suspense, Adriana reached out her arms for the puppy, and Claudia gladly handed him over. As her daughter cradled the present in her arms, slightly awkwardly with the cast, a miracle happened. She opened her mouth and said, "Hi, there, puppy! Oh, my God, look how cute you are!"

Claudia wanted to cry. It had worked. Adriana had finally spoken. Yes, it had been to the dog, but words had come out of her mouth. They were making progress. They were on the first step to freeing her from the awful memories of that night.

"His name's Bennie," said Claudia, reaching over to scratch the dog's head. "The breeder had already named them, and he seemed to be responding to it."

"I love it," said Adriana, still looking at the dog and rubbing his stomach. "Isn't that right, Bennie? Oh, you're so cute!" Finally, she looked up from the dog and right into Claudia's eyes. She hadn't made real eye contact with her mother for quite some time now, but she wasn't nervous about doing it. She stared directly and Claudia, and said, in a completely sincere tone, "Thank you."

As the Zacchara family surrounded the dog in Adriana's arms, petting it and scratching it and talking to it, Claudia considered her daughter's words. Thank you. It was more than just a thank you for the present. It was a thank you for knowing what to do. It was a thank you for acting on an instinct and trying to find a solution to the problem.

It was a thank you for starting to set her free.


End file.
